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British employers prefer Eastern Europeans

According to a new survey by employers, more Eastern Europeans are being hired by British employers than other nationalities. Following the accession of ten new countries into the European Union in May, 2004, both Ireland and the United Kingdom have seen an influx of Eastern European workers in search of jobs that are unavailable in their home countries due to high unemployment rates.

The survey published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), found employers seeking highly skilled and less-skilled workers were more likely to recruit migrants from the accession countries than traditional sources of labor, including the longer-standing European Union states and the Commonwealth.

Although the survey saw the development as a positive one from the point of view of employers, analysts believe that the new hiring trend of workers from the new EU countries offered an "awkward juxtaposition" with poor job prospects for the long-term unemployed.