New Migrant Databank Concept and Development

Abstract

Few parts of the UK remain unaffected by the surge in migration from central and eastern Europe that has been evident since the expansion of the European Union in 2004. However, the statistical instruments available to measure the multi-dimensional impact of international migration remain inadequate. The lack of empirical evidence to support research and analysis of migrant populations is an issue that affects a broad range of organisations at international, national, regional and local level. The problem is particularly acute in a selected set of local areas, where migrant populations have had a significant demographic, economic and social impacts. This chapter reports on work examining the changing profile and dynamics of the UK’s ethnic populations. The estimation and projection of ethnic group populations for local areas requires accurate intelligence on the inflow and outflow of international migrants. In the absence of a definitive source of data that can provide these statistics, the New Migrant Databank (NMD) has been developed which combines alternative sources of international migration data into a common statistical framework for presentation and analysis. The alternative sources of international migration data are summarised and a number of analytical examples are provided to illustrate how the NMD can provide a much improved picture of patterns and trends at a local level and the basis for improved intelligence on local estimates of both short-term and long-term migration. A number of developments are suggested, both to focus future research and to extend the content and value of the NMD as a common source of intelligence on UK immigration and emigration.