Britain’s employment and welfare systems are facing renewed scrutiny after a report found that nearly three million jobs created since 2014 went to immigrants, compared with just 734,000 taken by British citizens. The findings, published by the Centre for Social Justice in its State of Dependency report, raise questions about whether the country’s economic policies are adequately prioritizing British workers.

According to the think tank, approximately 408,000 jobs went to nationals of European Union countries, while around 2.5 million went to migrants from outside Europe. The report said the shift accelerated during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic and around the period when Britain formally left the European Union. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government also loosened immigration rules, helping pave the way for a surge in migration despite previous Conservative pledges to reduce immigration.

Johnson defended the approach by saying the Treasury had encouraged what he called “human quantitative easing,” referring to increasing the supply of migrant workers. Critics argue that expanding the labor supply can put downward pressure on wages and leave British workers facing greater competition for jobs.

The CSJ report also highlighted a sharp rise in the number of people receiving out-of-work benefits. Since 2020, the number of migrant workers in Britain has increased by 2.1 million, while the number of people receiving out-of-work welfare benefits has risen by 2.3 million. The think tank said the increase in benefit claims has added £21 billion, or approximately $28 billion, to taxpayer costs in real terms.

The report argued that employers have benefited from greater access to overseas labor while taxpayers have absorbed the growing cost of domestic worklessness. In total, approximately 6.7 million people in Britain now receive at least one welfare benefit covered by the report. The overall annual bill is expected to reach £136 billion, or roughly $180 billion, representing a real-terms increase of £50 billion, or $66 billion, since the 2019-2020 fiscal year. The report estimates the increase equates to approximately £1,200, or $1,590, per taxpayer.

The CSJ also warned that immigration has contributed to welfare spending, pointing to a roughly 400 percent increase in visas issued to migrants classified as dependents between 2019 and 2024. Despite arguments that immigration can help support an aging population and sustain public services, the report estimated that taxpayers currently provide approximately £14.3 billion, or $19 billion, in benefits to working-age migrants. That figure is projected to rise to £16.3 billion, or around $22 billion, by 2030.

The think tank said the figures expose problems with an economic model that has expanded access to overseas labor without adequately addressing the number of people who remain outside employment. “Migration, welfare and taxation emerge as interconnected parts of the same broken economic model,” the report said, arguing that policymakers have focused too heavily on bringing migrants into the economy instead of addressing what it described as a hidden unemployment crisis involving millions of people.

The findings have drawn criticism from Reform UK, which has made reducing immigration and welfare spending central to its political platform. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice told the Daily Mail that the report was a “damning indictment” of successive Labour and Conservative governments, accusing them of pursuing an immigration and economic model that disadvantages British workers. “Reform UK will end the welfare trap, halt mass immigration and get British workers back into jobs,” Tice said.

The party has pledged to reduce annual welfare spending by £50 billion, or approximately $66 billion, if elected. It has also proposed barring foreign nationals from receiving welfare benefits, claiming the measure could save taxpayers £21 billion, or around $28.5 billion, annually by 2029. Reform has further vowed to abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain, a form of permanent residence status that can allow eligible migrants to access benefits after meeting the relevant requirements. The party has warned that migrants who arrived during the post-Brexit immigration surge could impose substantial long-term costs if they obtain permanent residency and subsequently claim benefits.

The CSJ’s findings add to the debate over whether Britain’s immigration system, labor market and welfare policies are working in the interests of its existing workforce. The figures document simultaneous increases in migrant employment and welfare claims, although the report’s data alone do not establish that immigration directly caused the rise in benefit recipients.