The seismic shift triggered by Britain's decision to leave the European Union has brought about a striking paradox: areas that voted Leave are experiencing the fastest relative growth in foreign worker populations, while their economic fortunes remain precarious. A recent investigation into government data reveals that between June 2016 and December 2024, non-UK workers grew at a faster rate in percentage terms in stronger Leave-voting areas than in Remain-voting regions.
For instance, in Wigan, one of the most ardent Leave-voting towns, less than 5% of payrolled employees were from outside the UK in June 2016. By December 2024, this figure had nearly doubled to just under 10%. This contrasts starkly with the national average, where the proportion of foreign workers increased by approximately 40% over the same period.
While Remain-voting areas, typically larger cities, still host the largest absolute numbers of non-UK workers and have seen larger numerical increases, it is the Brexit strongholds that are undergoing the most significant relative transformation in their workforce demographics. Communities less familiar with migrant workers before Brexit are now seeing a more pronounced presence of non-UK individuals in their local working lives.
Anand Menon, director of The UK in a Changing Europe and a professor at King’s College London, highlighted the political significance of these rapid shifts in demographics. He suggested that "an extra 10,000 immigrants in central London might barely register," but "200 new arrivals in Boston" – a quintessential Leave-voting town – "might be noticed."
The investigation also found a parallel trend regarding deprivation. Strongest Remain-voting constituencies in England, such as Bristol Central and Cambridge, showed the largest improvements in deprivation rankings between 2015 and 2025. Conversely, Leave-voting areas like Boston and Skegness, and Hartlepool, became relatively more deprived over the same decade.
It is crucial to note that these two trends – faster growth in foreign workers and increased deprivation in Leave-voting areas – should not be interpreted as cause and effect. Many Leave-voting areas were already grappling with long-standing economic challenges. Broader research indicates that immigration has had only a very limited impact on the wages and employment prospects of UK-born workers.
The analysis combined government deprivation data with constituency-level estimates of the 2016 referendum vote to draw these conclusions. For UK businesses, particularly those in sectors like health and care which have seen significant increases in migration, the implications are multifaceted and demand careful consideration.