September 2023

IZA DP No. 16472: Migration and Productivity in the UK: An Analysis of Employee Payroll Data

Hoseong Nam, Jonathan Portes

We investigate the impact of immigration on productivity in the UK, using newly published ONS data on employees of non-UK origin by region and sector. Consistent with earlier research, we find some evidence of a positive association between non-EU migration and productivity, and some weaker evidence of a negative association between EU migration and productivity, although results are sensitive to the specifications used.