THE public must stop “living in a world of anxiety” over immigration and accept that the presence of thousands of eastern European migrants in the UK is a boost to the economy, a leading Welsh academic will warn today.

Dr Heaven Crawley, pictured below, director of the centre for migration policy research at Swansea University, will tell a committee of the House of Lords that, contrary to popular myth, migration from Eastern Europe has plugged gaps in the labour market and in some cases is driving economic growth.

She will also reveal how there are many misconceptions about the type of work typically undertaken by eastern European migrants.

The influx from Poland and elsewhere of mainly young workers has helped slow the decades-long demographic trend in Wales of 20-somethings and 30-somethings leaving to find work, Dr Crawley told the Western Mail.

Since eight eastern European states joined the EU in 2004, more than 16,000 eastern Europeans have registered to work in Wales, two-thirds of whom are from Poland.

The true number of immigrants is thought to be much higher, as the official figures exclude the self- employed and those yet to register.

Carmarthenshire has the highest number of Polish immigrants in Wales, with Llanelli a particular hot-spot. Newport, Cardiff and North-East Wales have also seen a significant influx.

“One thing that is particularly evident in the Welsh context is that before 2004 Wales had not been depopulating, but the population had been changing, with young people leaving to find work.

“East European migration has changed that trend,” Dr Crawley said.

“There are lots of myths and misunderstanding. Most accession migrants are actually employed in admin, rather than agriculture.

“A greater proportion in Wales go into the public sector, compared with people’s perceptions.

“There are areas of economic growth in Wales that have not been met by the indigenous population, partly because of demography. This is not just true of Wales … I think there is just a misconception about the parts of the labour market they go into, the perception is they go into low skilled jobs.”

Some “clusters” of Polish migration to areas like Llanelli have skewed people’s perceptions of the overall impact, she said, and have led to pressures on local housing markets.

But the widely-held view that Poles are driving down wages is an unfair charge, she suggests.

“These sorts of things require employers to be held to account. Employers have undermined the wage levels, not migrants per se.”

But successive Governments have made the error of creating a climate where asylum and immigration were seen as negative, leaving the UK unprepared for the realities of freedom of movement that came with EU expansion in 2004.

“The gap in public perception is really critical, in terms of attitudes there is a gap,” she said.

“Whilst we don’t want to dismiss people’s concern on the one hand, because there are real things happening on the ground, on the other hand, constantly living in this world of anxiety is not helpful in terms of addressing the problems.

“I think the reality is that the whole of Wales has been caught on the hop, the whole of the UK has been caught on the hop.”

Survey data suggests most eastern European migrants intend to return home within five years.

“There is a real danger here, we spend so much time bemoaning the fact that migrants are here; suddenly we’re left with a gap in the labour market.

“We’re in danger of shooting each other in the foot,” she added.

“If there is economic growth as a result of migration, it might lead to young people not moving, and it might lead to up-skilling as part of that overall dynamic of economic growth.

“In Wales as a whole we’ve got a substantial ageing population, so the demand for labour is going to continue, and it will probably be filled by migrants from other places.

“It’s really important that we get the public debate right, this is a reality that’s here to stay.

“Closing the border really isn’t an option”