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Street scene in London: biggest drop in population since World War II?
Photo: Matt Dunham / AP
The scientists speak of an "unprecedented exodus" of foreign-born workers: According to a study, hundreds of thousands of people have turned their backs on Great Britain because of economic problems in the corona crisis.
"A large part of the job losses during the pandemic affects non-British workers and is expressed more in terms of immigration than in unemployment," write researchers at the Economic Statistics Center of Excellence in London.
The authors of the study rely on labor market data.
London, where every fifth resident is a foreigner, is particularly affected.
According to the study, the population of the capital has shrunk by 700,000, nationwide it could be more than 1.3 million.
"If this is anywhere near accurate, it is the largest decline in British population since World War II," it says.
There is no evidence that Britons living abroad have returned to the UK in nearly equal numbers.
At the same time, the scientists concede that it could be a temporary phenomenon and that many foreign workers could possibly return to the UK after the pandemic.
"Baby-Delle": lowest birth rate since 1900 expected
There are other phenomena that can explain emigration.
Great Britain, for example, has long been the preferred emigration destination for Polish craftsmen and other skilled workers, whose situation has also changed as a result of the Brexit that was finally concluded at the turn of the year.
Migration laws have been tightened.
Foreigners are urgently needed by the British economy, and many industries are worried about skilled workers.
In order to keep the economy going, there was even a recent debate about the dismantling of workers' rights.
The UK post-Brexit economy is in grave condition.
At the end of the year, the country's economy had shrunk again after several months of recovery from the Brexit kink.
The Office for National Statistics on Friday reported a 2.6 percent decline for November.
The corona crisis also affects the composition of society in Great Britain on another point.
The auditing and consulting company PwC expects a "baby dent" in 2021: Because many couples would postpone their family planning because of the uncertain prospects due to the pandemic, the lowest birth rate since 1900 is threatened.
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apr / dpa
