Why Do Migrants Beat Young Brits To Jobs?

[Bobbisox]

As youth unemployment passes the 1m mark, why are migrant workers beating our boys and girls to whatever jobs are going begging? Are the stereotypes true? Are our under 25s lazy, unreliable and arrogant? Are foreigners, who only have English as a second language, really more flexible, more approachable and smarter both mentally and appearance-wise?

I copied this article from the MW Show this morning, I thought it might open up an interesting debate on the subject.

My own opinion is we can't tar all of our under 25s with this, but are foreign workers more hard working than us Brits? apparently 99% of Pret A' Manger employees are foreign workers and they actually pay over the minimum wage at about £7-50 per hr
What's your take on this?

[Answerprancer]

As usual the Git willfully ignores properly thought out answers like those of Old Geezer, Ratter and Snafu and piles in with two lines of Daily Mail fuelled ignorance.

[erin-x]

I know Bobbi... I just thought that the majority of responses were really negative so I thought I would give a positive, first hand experience from someone from the generation being discussed. :) x

[Bobbisox]

and well done you erin:o)

[erin-x]

Thank you Bobbi :) I just wish someone would give me a chance.. x

[Euphemia]

You deserve it Erin. Good luck!

[Bobbisox]

I am sure with the right attitude as you have potrayed on here Erin, someone will ,and should x

[Bobbisox]

<<<<portrayed>>

[anotheoldgit]

em10

/// It's like saying employ more women in government, just because they should, why should you if they aren't up to the job, it should be on merit.///

Couldn't agree more em, but the trouble is in the real world, it doesn't just work that way, have you not heard of certain parties, putting a percentage of female MPs on their front benches?

Also employers especially in the public sector, conduct an equal opportunity system, which means they employ a percentage of females and ethnic minorities.

It has long been argued that persons should be selected on merit, but it always falls on deaf ears.

[emmie]

perhaps someone out there can tell me the name that is used when you use a quota system in employment as in AOG's post. I remember watching a programme, though it was a drama, where one of the central characters has a rant at the fact her father though better qualified, was passed over for promotion, because they needed to fill the quota of ethnic minorities, term?

[sandyRoe]

'positive discrimination,' Em10?

[boxtops]

Migrant workers are willing to work for much less than some of our youngsters - the pay is worth more to them, IMO. They also have a work ethic whereas some (and I do say only some) of our young people would rather lurk around with their friends.

[Brenden]

or Affirmative action.

[emmie]

SR, thank you, that's it, and it's not right. If I was more qualified than another candidate, but positive discrimination was in place, the person would be chosen on filling a quota, purely on ethnic lines. Same as this nonsense in the fostering/adoption process, black children languishing in the care system, because the powers that be, think it best they are placed with black families, which often means they are never fostered/adopted.

[4846]

Strange how some people forget how our past leaders were picked

/// http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair_Babe ///

[joko]

just to comment from the reverse of this, when i was 17-20 or so, i did a number of jobs - and was treated like crap...with no respect, rudeness and on one occasion outright scammed...

i was expected to grow up and get an adult job... so i turned up prepared to behave like and adult and expected to be treated as such...

instead i was treated like a skivvy or a child who they believed was too ignorant and wet behind the ears to notice the lack of respect or the rudeness

then theres the 'jolly old japes' played by the staff when they spot the newbie or rookie and play all the old tricks like sending them out for a bag of fallopian tubes and giving them all the utterly crap jobs, as well as sabotage, blame, and making them do their own work for them - and even personal tasks - to save them the bother...

i was young but i wasnt stupid, i knew what they were doing and i see it as a form of passive bullying...its often cruel, abusive and mean, rather than a jolly good jape, and leaves people feeling embarassed, frustrated and angry ...

young people know they may be treated this way ...

i look younger than i am and even now i am treated like i am 'just a kid' and now i am old enough to spot it a mile off and its horribly patronising and conndescending and downright offensive...and i find myslef having to instigate conversations designed to make my real age know... and it works...attitudes change instantly...

and i have never and would never do those sorts of jobs again...

[joko]

then there is the issue of the celeb culture, and instant gratification...

so many young people believe they 'deserve' fame and fortune, and are encouraged to have unrealistic dreams... such as multimillionaire pop stars...
when migrants just dream of a home and family etc

we see it all the time on these shows...poor deluded youths, who wail those words "i want this so bad, more than all these others" - and they seem to believe that wanting it more than others is all it takes to deserve it too.

or they say they have wanted it all their lives (they are 16!) and have worked soooo hard...(in front of their bedroom mirror)

they are encouraged to chase this, and then when they realsie it probably wont happen, they become disillusioned and sullen and anything not immediately gratifying is simply as waste of time for them.

i suspect some parents do this because they envisage their kid as a cash cow - should they actually make it - especially now that you dont need a talent to be famous any more....

so whilst i agree that that generation is kind of lazy and feel entitled, i also think there is another culture and generation helping make them that way...

[ludwig]

What you have to bear in mind is that anyone who's taken the initiative and made the effort to come here to work really wants to work.

It's a false comparison to compare that set of people with young people who were born here.

There may be just as many lazy useless young people back in Poland as we've got here, but we never see them because they're all sat on their bums being lazy and useless in Poland.

[Bobbisox]

very good point ludwig, marked as best answer

[emmie]

ludwig, excellent post

[EcclesCake]

Our window fitters are about to leave. On arrival one lit up a fag on our drive way and proceeded to waft in out presence, have yet to locate dog end. A McDonalds drink carton was found in the middle of the front garden. They did not suggest that we removed some articles from the room in question to prevent them getting a coating of dust (previous discussions suggested removal of articles was not required), however everything in the vicinity is covered in dust. One had a dump and didn't flush the toilet properly.

Nationality? British.