This working paper is the first from IPPR’s Economics of Migration project, which aims to improve understanding of the economic impacts of migration in the UK, and how policy should respond to that migration in order to maximise its economic benefits, and minimise its costs. The paper clarifies the variety of ways in migration may have affected local firms and economies; whilst some impacts of migration – such as filling local skills gaps – are quite visible, migration also affects local economies in less noticeable ways, such as by boosting local markets. The paper brings these out, and underlines the importance of looking at migration’s longer-term impacts in local areas, as well as its short-term effects.

Report