- Net migration to the UK has fallen from 860,000 to 431,000 in the year up to December 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics.
- The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) expects net migration to halve again to 200,000 in the next year due to a weakening job market.
- MAC chairman Professor Brian Bell attributes the fall to a decline in non-EU workers and students, and anticipates a further drop in work visas.
- ONS data indicates a decrease in available jobs and a rise in unemployment, suggesting firms are hesitant to recruit.
- MAC says that changes in Labour’s immigration policies, including raising the skills threshold for work visas, will likely impact the hospitality and retail sectors, while a ban on care workers bringing family members into the country is reducing health and care worker visas.
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