Will Covid Help Re-Shape How We View Our Essential and Immigrant Workers?

Today’s blog is about recognising the essential workers who risk exposing themselves to Covid-19 in order to keep the nation going. There have been various tributes paid to our doctors and nurses with rounds of applause for their hard work, and there has also been growing admiration for individuals that are working supposedly ‘low-skilled’ jobs.

The UK government published a list of key workers which includes drivers, cleaners, supermarket workers and care workers who are categorised as ‘low skilled’. The government’s actions to reference these jobs as ‘essential’ and ‘key’ highlights how these industries make up the backbone of the UK. Unfortunately, the recognition has only come in a time of crisis and while some may appreciate the raised awareness, others may still feel that their roles have been taken for granted for far too long.

There are some layers to this discussion that we’d like to peel away at. Firstly, the language the government uses is hostile and undervalues the work of many. The term ‘low skilled’ immediately creates an image of an occupation which is menial and insignificant. But it has become very apparent that these jobs and the individuals working them keep the clogs turning.

The second layer we want to explore is the number of non-UK born employees who make up part of the work force. A study published in 2019, by The Migration Observatory, shows that 17% of the UK’s employed population, in the 2018, were born abroad. 10% came from non-EU countries and 7% from EU countries.

The diagram below shows the occupational distribution of workers by country of birth in 2018. We can see that immigrants from Pakistan and other South Asian countries held the largest share of medium-low skilled jobs at 45%, while immigrants from EU-8, EU-2 and EU-Other held the largest share of low-skilled jobs at 27%.

When we look at the level of non-UK born individuals working in different industries, the numbers are as follows:

· Retail — 17%

· Health — 20%

· Education — 14%

· Transport and Storage — 26%

· Social Work and Residential Care — 18%

As we can see from the data, immigrants contribute significantly to the UK workforce and their presence is felt across the board. They are part of the minimum wage heroes and the point here is simply to recognise all key workers, appreciate the contribution of immigrants and reassess the way we perceive certain jobs.

This re-evaluation is crucial given the government’s new immigration policy which prioritises ‘high skilled’ labour and clearly states that a route for low-skilled work will not be included. Amidst the pandemic, the policy’s bias has been raised in the House of Commons, as Brexiteer MP Steve Double requested that the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, review her points-based system. The Home Secretary reassured the House that the bill would be reviewed but we will have to wait and see if any meaningful changes are made.

This is currently a trending topic because of the world’s dependency on key workers, but will this crisis be enough for the government to recognise both the importance of these workers and the extent to which immigrants contribute to the UK? Judging by their actions to extend health care workers’ visas for one year only, it seems unlikely. The decision to hold on to workers and use them to fight off Covid, only to revoke visas at the end of the battle is a familiar tactic from our government. A quick glance at history reminds us how immigrants were welcomed to the UK when the state required their presence to fill labour shortages, but once demand was met, immigration policies were retightened.

There is something sinister about this use and abuse approach which allows minority individuals to be treated as disposable commodities. It remains to be seen whether the post Covid world will create a shift in attitudes from both the government and the public.