Brexit voting areas saw faster relative growth in foreign workers since 2016
8 reported
A Guardian investigation has found that Leave-voting areas in the UK have experienced faster relative growth in foreign workers since the 2016 Brexit referendum, according to government Pay As You Earn data. The analysis shows that between 2016 and the end of 2024, non-UK workers grew fastest in percentage terms in stronger Leave-voting areas, largely because they had previously made up a smaller share of the workforce. For example, in Wigan, less than 5% of payrolled employees were from outside the UK in June 2016, rising to just under 10% in December 2024. Across the country, the proportion of foreign workers increased by 40% over that period. The Guardian also analyzed deprivation data, finding that the strongest Remain-voting seats in England experienced the largest improvements between 2015 and 2025, while Brexit-voting areas such as Boston and Skegness became relatively more deprived. Anand Menon, director of The UK in a Changing Europe, cautioned against attributing all changes to Brexit, noting that more affluent places with higher-skilled workforces were more resilient.
What’s reported
Leave-voting areas saw faster relative growth in foreign workers since the 2016 Brexit referendum, per Guardian analysis of government Pay As You Earn data.
Between 2016 and end of 2024, non-UK workers grew fastest in percentage terms in stronger Leave-voting areas.
In Wigan, foreign workers rose from under 5% of payrolled employees in June 2016 to just under 10% in December 2024.
Nationally, the proportion of foreign workers increased by 40% over that period.
Remain-voting areas still have the largest numbers of non-UK workers in absolute terms.
Strongest Remain-voting seats in England saw largest improvements in deprivation rankings between 2015 and 2025.
Brexit-voting areas like Boston and Skegness, Hartlepool, and North Warwickshire and Bedworth became relatively more deprived over the same period.
Migration peaked at 944,000 in the year ending March 2023, then fell as visas expired.
Misconceptions
The article states that the two trends (foreign worker growth and deprivation changes) should not be mistaken for cause and effect, and that wider research suggests immigration has had only very limited effects on wages and employment prospects of UK-born workers.
Key figures
Anand Menon, director of The UK in a Changing Europe and professor of west European politics at King’s College London.
Sources: The Guardian
