Report Finds Only One in Five New Jobs in a Decade Went to Britons

A report analyzing payroll data has revealed that only one in five new jobs created in the past decade has been filled by British nationals. Of the 3.7 million additional payrolled roles since 2014, just 734,000 were taken by UK citizens. The study, conducted by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), found that EU citizens accounted for 408,000 positions, while 2.5 million roles were filled by migrants from outside the EU.

The analysis indicated that a significant portion of this increase occurred after the COVID-19 pandemic, with employment for non-EU workers rising by 2.1 million since 2020. The CSJ warned that while employers have benefited from broad access to international labor, taxpayers have been burdened with the costs associated with Britons being left unemployed and reliant on benefits.

These findings emerge shortly after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood acknowledged being pressured by fellow Labour ministers to permit more foreign workers into the country. Reports also indicate that government departments have allocated at least £5 million for over 1,500 visas for migrant staff since the last election.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, founder of the CSJ and former Cabinet minister, stated that the report highlights a crisis extending beyond the welfare system. He argued that successive governments have used welfare as a means to address economic failures rather than fostering prosperity. Duncan Smith added that ministers have frequently opted for immigration as a simpler solution instead of improving conditions for underserved communities, asserting that welfare reform, immigration, and regional growth must be addressed cohesively.

An examination of HMRC figures by the CSJ showed a decline in the number of British nationals in payrolled jobs in several regions between July 2014 and December 2025. For instance, Scotland saw a decrease of 53,000 such jobs, and the West Midlands experienced a reduction of 32,000. Concurrently, jobs for migrant workers from outside the EU increased by 465,200 in London and by an additional 284,500 in the South East during the same period.

The health and social work sector represented 29% of the increase in non-EU migrant workers on payrolls. This was followed by administrative and support services at 16%, and accommodation and food services at 12%.

Richard Tice, Deputy Leader of Reform UK, criticized the report's findings, calling them a "damning indictment" of successive Labour and Conservative governments. He stated their policies have favored an "open-borders, low-wage economic model that writes off millions of our own people." Reform UK has pledged to "end the welfare trap, halt mass immigration and get British workers back into jobs."

In response to the significant number of migrants arriving in recent years, the Home Secretary had previously proposed measures to extend the waiting period before individuals become eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain. However, facing opposition from some within the Labour party and trade unions, Mahmood indicated at the party's conference that these proposals might be softened. She stated that the government would reach a position that balances fairness for legal immigrants with the interests of British citizens.