Four in five new jobs in Britain taken by migrants, damning report finds

Of those additional jobs, 734,000 went to British nationals, compared with 408,000 to EU nationals - and some 2.5 million to non-EU nationals.

The figures form part of 'State of Dependency', a 250-page report examining the rising cost of welfare and the relationship between immigration and employment.

The CSJ, founded by former Conservative Cabinet minister Sir Iain Duncan Smith, said successive Governments had relied on overseas workers to fill vacancies, while failing to improve employment prospects for millions of people already living in Britain.

The trend accelerated after 2020, during what the report describes as the “Boriswave” of immigration.

Between January 2020 and December 2025, payroll jobs held by non-EU nationals increased by 2.1 million, while those held by British nationals fell by 186,000.

British employment declined in nine of the UK’s 12 major regions over the period, with Scotland recording the largest fall of 53,000 fewer payroll jobs held by British nationals.

The growth in overseas employment was concentrated in sectors such as health and social care, hospitality, administration and retail - with these four industries accounting for around two-thirds of the increase in non-EU payroll employment.

Reform UK Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said: “This report illustrates just how harmful mass migration has been for the jobs market. Reform will reverse Rachel Reeves’s jobs tax for British workers, paid for by a levy on migrant labour, to put British workers first again.”

At the same time as migrants to Britain are scooping up employment opportunities, the report also highlights the rising number of foreign nationals receiving state support.

An estimated 1.85 million non-British adults received at least one form of benefit or the state pension in 2025, after accounting for people receiving multiple forms of support.

Around 1.4 million foreign nationals receive working-age benefits, including some 1.3 million claiming Universal Credit, which has increased by 38 per cent since April 2022.

The CSJ estimates that benefits, pensions and child-related support for foreign nationals cost £23billion in 2025, including £14.3billion in working-age benefits, £2.9billion in pension-related payments and £5.8billion in child-related support.

The total is forecast to approach £27billion by 2030.

Overall, 6.7 million people across England, Wales and Scotland now receive at least one out-of-work benefit, equivalent to around one in six working-age adults.

The working-age benefits bill is projected to reach £136.1billion in 2026-27 - almost £50billion higher in real terms than in 2019-20.

Sir Iain said: “Britain’s immigration and welfare systems were founded on the expectation that those arriving here should be able to support themselves and their families.

“But at a time when families and businesses are being clobbered with yet more taxes, many will be deeply concerned at the extent to which governments have let unconstrained immigration drive up the welfare bill.

“We must urgently now restore contribution and reciprocity to the welfare system while helping the millions of Brits on out-of-work benefits back towards a better future for themselves and their families. We have done this before, we can do it again.”

A Government spokesman said: “The vast majority of this country’s workforce is made up of UK nationals, and we have introduced a number of changes including a new skills-based migration system to put British workers first and welcome the high-skilled talent that our economy needs.

“We are also reforming the welfare system by creating almost a million work opportunities for young people through our youth guarantee, while investing £3.5billion to help disabled people and those with long-term health conditions move closer to the labour market.”