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Michelle K. Pyke
10 July 2017
The Preservation of History
The movement of people defines human history. Jonathan Evershed, a
lecturer in International Relations and Political Science, introduced the
concept of nation-states as bodies that defined fixed borders between
sedentary, homogenous, and culturally differentiated populations. Migration
impacts the ethnic demographic of these designated areas by nature; this
basic premise is the subject of heated political debate across the globe and
in the United Kingdom in particular. Through the economic and social
consequences of migration, I argue that immigrants are the key to a more
productive and compassionate workplace within the context of the UK.
The financial benefits of hiring immigrants serve not only domestic
interests to maintain a strong presence in the international economy, but
also those of the Global South (formerly known as third-world countries).
The debate over whether the UK should remain in the European Union is
intrinsically tied to trends in migration. According to Anna Bodey, migration
analyst for the Office for National Statistics, approximately 1.5 million non-
UK nations are involved in the wholesale retail, hospitality, and public
administration and health sectors.1 International migration among EU-
member states reached an all time high in the second quarter of 2016,
shortly surpassing the rate for non-EU citizens the following quarter despite
a slight decline.2 What this data suggests is that the UK is a common
destination for employment opportunities among EU nationals specifically.
These professionals not only contribute to the UK economy through taxes
but also through their purchasing power as consumers. By integrating
immigrants into the UK workplace, private, locally based organisations may
develop more ambitious business proposals for the future and acquire an
advantage over competitors within the same global market. Beyond the
general workplace, immigration control entails employment opportunities in
and of itself. The officers stationed at the UK borders are responsible for
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managing the regulations of the state and similar to other sectors, it is

likely that a number of non-UK citizens are considered to be appropriate
candidates for these positions and subsequently hired. The UK Visas and
Immigration Office, formerly known as the UK Border Agency, is a
department within the UK government; since border officials are hired by
the government, it can be logically assumed that there is some form of
employment security in the long run in comparison to privately owned
businesses that are at the mercy of market forces. However, the results of
the referendum, as the guest lecturer from this week pointed out, provide
less of an incentive for EU nationals to remain in the UK. Data published by
the UK Home Office indicates a decline in applications for citizenship
among non-EU residents.3 The consequent departures of these workers
could pose a threat to not only government funding (their contributions
through taxes would no longer be available), but also the innovative
potential of domestic enterprises. Additionally, migration opens an
opportunity for investments abroad, traditionally for the home countries of
recently admitted UK residents. One primary incentive to participate in the
UK workplace is that the financial reward (both immediate and future)
could potentially support the entirety of ones family back home, assuming
that the cost of living is lower. The lecturer emphasised the distinction
between voluntary and forced migration; unlike other motives, monetary
returns lie within the shaded region between the two. To put this into
context, a highly skilled and well-educated software engineer from
Bangladesh could immigrate to the UK to work for a prominent tech
company. This is a personal choice for him as his primary concern is to live
a fulfilled life by capitalising on his talent and supporting his households
income while abroad. An alternative story, and one that is directly expressed
by a documentary showcased in the Migration Museum, tells of a fifteen-
year-old Syrian refugee who seeks the shores of the UK as a means to
escape poverty and ultimately ensure a brighter future for those he left
behind. In both cases, the software engineer and the young Syrian
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contribute to the UK labour market as well as the UK, Bangladeshi, and

Syrian economies. A fair conclusion is that the UK workplace can remain
competitive on an international scale through its current productive and
innovative capacities. Without the efforts of foreign employees, the status of
the UK as a leading figure in the global economy may be at risk.
Migration is essentially a story of humankinds desire to develop a
unified, cultural identity; immigrants are thus perceived as a threat to the
traditional ethnic composition of the UK. In a broader context, diversity is
widely regarded with a positive connotation because it establishes a line of
communication between those who are blessed with the privileges of the
majority and minority groups who were formerly viewed as irrelevant. The
lecturer addressed two specific responses to increasing diversity in the
most general sense: assimilation (the melting pot) and multiculturalism
(the mosaic). Elements of both are quite apparent in the political
foundation of the UK and British attitudes towards immigrants in each
distinguishable province. Public policy deals with the careful question of
loyalty towards ones home by birth and ones place of residence. In the
Call Me By My Name exhibition at the Migration Museum, artists and
academic scholars joined together to showcase the disconnect between the
publics perception of the harsh reality of the refugee crisis and the inaction
that follows. Empathy is an inherent, psychological response towards
shared human experiences; thus, the emotional appeal of stories from
Calais, the setting for the artistic pieces within the gallery, likely triggers
some form of compassion. The underlying concern, however, is the
dehumanising quality attached to refugees and those who bear the burden
of complete isolation within the social realm. A theory behind this
phenomenon is that repetitive exposure to the cruelties of on-going violence
causes those who share an alternative perspective to seek a sense of safety
apart from the troubles of the world. These efforts prevent outsiders of
conflict-stricken areas from acknowledging their counterparts and the call
for action. It isnt a matter of altering the course of the present alone, but
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rather taking advantage of opportunities to guide future endeavours that

can lead to recovery. Without such a foundation, the clear divisions in the
global cultural landscape will remain as reminders that differences are
impediments to unity. The perceived threat of immigrants to the national
identity of the British people is not statistically supportable. The most
recent census published indicates that 13% of the population (roughly 7.5
million people) was born outside of the UK.4 This, of course, discounts the
fact that residents born within the UK borders are also ethnically different
from White British. However, 91% of UK-born residents belong to this
category, which further suggests that roughly 84% of the entire population
self-identifies as White British. The implications of these defensive
attitudes prevent valuable relationships from forming within the workplace.
Without the emotional intelligence to guide ones behaviour in a unique
cultural setting, employees are unable to reap the benefits of collaboration
a catalyst for innovation. As Mia Forbes mentioned during her lecture, there
are three layers of culture, which include basic, implicit assumptions.
Prejudice continues to challenge the dynamic of the professional business
environment since it is essential for employees to understand that identity is
a subjective matter. Therefore, migration serves as a reminder that the
social implications of a diverse workplace begin at an intrinsic level, but
both ones behaviour and perception of others can be actively changed to
suit the shifting, cultural environment and ultimately enable meaningful
relationships to become a foundation for future success.
Although migration is consistently measured by facts and figures, its
economic and social implications reveal the nature of human relationships
within the workplace. Given that these stories lack the neutral tone of
statistics, they have the potential to stimulate a response against hostile
attitudes against immigrants in the UK and encourage a collective effort to
achieve coexistence with the preservation of difference.
1 Office for National Statistics. (2017, April 12). International immigration and
the labour market, UK: 2016. Retrieved from
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/
internationalmigration/articles/migrationandthelabourmarketuk/2016
2
Office for National Statistics. (2017, May 25). Migration Statistics Quarterly
Report: May 2017. Retrieved from
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/
internationalmigration/bulletins/migrationstatisticsquarterlyreport/may2017

3 Government of the United Kingdom, Home Office. (2017, February 23).

National Statistics: Citizenship. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-october-to-
december-2016/citizenship

4 Office for National Statistics. (2015, June 18). 2011 Census analysis: Ethnicity
and religion of the non-UK born population in England and Wales: 2011.
Retrieved from
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/ethnicity
/articles/2011censusanalysisethnicityandreligionofthenonukbornpopulationinengl
andandwales/2015-06-18#ethnicity-of-the-non-uk-born-population