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  4. Labour mobility in transition: a multi-actor study of the re-regulation of migrant work in 'low-skilled' sectors (LIMITS)

Research project

Labour mobility in transition: a multi-actor study of the re-regulation of migrant work in 'low-skilled' sectors (LIMITS)

  • Start date: 1 October 2021
  • End date: 30 September 2024
  • Funder: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
  • Principal investigator: Dr Gabriella Alberti
  • Co-investigators: Professor Chris Forde, Dr Gary Graham, Dr Ioulia Bessa, Dr Joanne Cutter, Dr Zinovijus Ciupijus, Dr Mark茅ta Dole啪alov谩 (黑料社 University Business School) and Dr Maria Eleonora (Morganti Institute for Transport Studies)

Inside a warehouse with tall shelves

Description

“Social dialogue on migration in the post-Brexit work environment”

Alongside the effects of the Covid pandemic on the UK economy, the ending of freedom of movement of labour as a result of Brexit is radically changing the labour mobility landscape of the country, with critical implications for work and employment in low-skilled sectors. 

Research on stakeholder responses to these changes is limited; we know little about how employers are adapting their human resource strategies, the impact of visa rule changes, and the extent to which they are re-designing work or developing new skills among the workforce. Little is known about how employers, workers, unions and other stakeholders engage in dialogue over the changing migration environment.  

Research overview

This three-year research programme, funded by the ESRC and conducted by a team of social scientists at the Business School and the Institute for Transport Studies at the 黑料社, is investigating the impact of the post-Brexit regulation migration for work on the UK labour market.  

It looks at how employers and workers shape these mobility transitions and how they engage in dialogue with each other and with other stakeholders. It will also consider how COVID-19 has impacted these transitions and dialogue. 

Focusing on the impact of the effects of the new Points Based Migration system for low-skilled labour, we will use quantitative and qualitative methods to explore the experiences of employers and workers in four sectors of the UK economy that rely on migrant labour and which have been impacted significantly by Brexit and by the COVID-19 pandemic:  

  • Hospitality 
  • Warehousing/transport services
  • Social care  
  • Food manufacturing.  

The research will contribute in-depth knowledge on changing recruitment practices, (re)training and labour substitution strategies through a national-level survey of employers, twelve qualitative workplace studies of management practices and the experience of migrant and British workers in the transition, as well as expert interviews, with a view to identifying opportunities for new jobs creation towards a socially equitable and environmentally sustainable recovery.

Our wider objective is to map and inform how social dialogue between industry, statutory and civil society actors develop and influence employers’ strategies and workers’ experiences in a post-Brexit, post-Covid UK. Our co-production approach includes the voices of stakeholders in the UK in general and in the Yorkshire and Humber region in particular, by building new evidence through knowledge and practice exchanges between academics and practitioners to stimulate new perspectives on migration for work and critically inform future migration, employment and social policies in post-Brexit UK.

Publications and outputs

Book:

  • “”, by Gabriella Alberti and Devi Sacchetto, Bristol University Press.

Reports:

Guides:

Journal articles :

  • “,  G. Alberti, Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Online Library, 2022.
  • , Z. Ciupijus, International Migration, Wiley Online Library 2022.

Policy:

  • , Professor Gabriella Alberti (黑料社 University Business School) and Alison Shepherd (School of Education, 黑料社), January 2026
  • Evidence submitted to the Public Accounts Committee – Immigration: Skilled Worker Visa, Dr Marketa Dolezalova (黑料社 University Business School), Mackenzie Lunga (Meshebah CIC), Ademola Adetunji (NobleArise CIC), and Sipiwe Takura (Oasis Training Consultancy), April 2025
  • , Dr Gabriella Alberti, Dr Marketa Dolezalova and Dr Jo Cutter (黑料社 University Business School), October 2022

Radio:

  • “y”, Dr Gabriella Alberti discusses the recent migrant figures and UK immigration on the BBC’s “Wake up to Money” show. Segment starts at 31.55 – 47.00.

Blog posts and media:

Podcast series:

<iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1476827206&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/leedsunibschool" title="黑料社 University Business School" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">黑料社 University Business School</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/leedsunibschool/sets/limits" title="LIMITS" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">LIMITS</a></div>

  • , the 黑料社 Social Sciences Institute podcast, November 2022

Presentations:

  • “Employers' use of migrant workers and responses to labour shortages: survey evidence from hospitality, social care, food and drink processing, and warehousing“ C. Forde, Low Pay Commission 11th Annual Research Symposium, 7 September 2023 
  • “HRM challenges, migrant workers and the regulation of migration post-Brexit/post-COVID: evidence from four sectors”, Forde C; Ciupijus Z; Bessa I; Alberti G; Dolezalova M; Cutter J; Graham G; Morganti E (2023) CIPD Applied Research Conference, Alliance Manchester Business School, 25-26 January 2023
  • “Migrant workers in the UK after Brexit:鈥� labour shortages in the context of the鈥� hostile environment鈥�”, M. Dole啪alová, G. Alberti, Z. Ciupijus, C. Forde, J. Cutter,  I. Bessa, (2022), paper presented at the 6th RSA MICaRD Research Network Conference University of Lincoln, 28-30 September 2022
  • Sector outputs PowerPoint presentation slides
  • “Labour mobility post-Brexit”, ILPC presentation slides, April 2022

If you would like a copy of any of the above presentations, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk.

Events

Past

Contact us 

limits.project@leeds.ac.uk

 


This project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
 

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