British Indians have continually helped British economy prosper since WWII: Report

LONDON: A white paper published by the Aston India Centre has shown how Indian migrants to the UK have repeatedly helped transform the British economy since World War II.

Described as “one of the most consequential migration stories of modern Britain”, the paper, titled “Migration of the Indian Diaspora to the UK”, explores four waves of migrants from the 1940s post-war reconstruction to the post-2019 post-Brexit influx, showing how Indian migrants have strengthened Britain’s capacity to rebuild, adapt and prosper.

It recommends the UK adopt a smarter migration strategy to align visa routes with employer demand, mutual qualification recognition with India, and for sector regulators in the UK and India to work together to verify credentials of workers and hold joint assessment clinics with employers to speed up recruitment and ensure the best people are hired.

Written by the joint directors of Aston India Centre at Aston University, Prof Sangeeta Khorana and Prof Pawan Budhwar, as well as Manish Tiwari, chairman of Here&Now365, the report shows how Indian migrants have helped fill labour shortages since the 1940s. Until the 1970s there was no visa requirement for most Commonwealth citizens to move to the UK, and post-WWII the UK had many labour shortages which Indians came to fill, attracted by wage differentials and political upheaval back home.

In 1972 a large number of Indians with British passports expelled from Uganda moved to the UK. More arrived via family reunion visas and set up businesses in places like Leicester and Birmingham.

In the 1990s, Indians flowed to the UK to work in the services sector, especially IT, also transport, manufacturing and hospitality, attracted by the strong economy.

Brexit in 2016 led to a loss of EU-origin workers in the UK. That, combined with policy liberalisation, led to a large influx of Indians as students, healthcare workers and skilled workers. Covid also triggered huge labour shortages in Britain. Indians are now the largest cohort on the skilled worker route and Indian migrants account for around 16% of all NHS professionals and 13% of the tech workforce.

Since 2019 highly-skilled Indian migrants and entrepreneurs, specialists in AI, fintech, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and the digital sector, have established businesses and driven technological innovation not just in London, but in the regions as well. British Indians are now the wealthiest ethnic group in the UK by median net worth and have broadened Britain’s culinary traditions, music, film, literature and festivals. British Indians increasingly feature in public life, from local councils to being the PM, which helps social cohesion, the report said.

Budhwar told TOI: “The white paper provides evidence-based analysis about the contribution of the Indian diaspora to the UK’s economy, culture and social capital. It highlights that the Indian diaspora are not a burden and are contributing significantly.”