Where The Hell Are The Romanians And Bulgarians???

[sp1814]

Remember at the end of last year, when several news sources warned of the hundreds of thousands of Romanians and Bulgarians all champing at the bit to come over to the UK from January 1st?

What happened?

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/may/14/number-romanian-bulgarian-workers-falls-border-controls

From the Office of National Statistics:

"The labour force survey figures show that there were 122,000 Romanians and Bulgarians nationals working in Britain in March this year – a fall from 125,000 in December just before the last seven-year transitional controls were lifted on the new EU members on 1 January."

[sp1814]

methyl

Ohhh...I'm hoping this isn't the first sign of senility!

But still the last time I asked this, it was just based on a gut feeling. Now it's official. Not only did numbers not significantly increase...they actually fell!

[jno]

perfectly reasonable update to your previous thread, I would have thought.

They may all be imprisoned in Farage's cellar, I suppose. He'll allow them one biscuit a day and administer random floggings.

[tonyav]

Their in Brum.

[Bazile]

They are massing at the border , apparently

[tonyav]

Bound to be one or two errrr fixing an ATM right now.

[maggiebee]

Tony - go sit on the naughty step!

[tonyav]

lol.

[Svejk]

clink

[HARPY]

How many are getting benefits ?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2486853/How-I-claim-benefits-I-Britain-Romanians-demand-help-job-agencies-UK.html

[jennyjoan]

there are thousands of them here Ormeau Road belfast

[mccfluff]

i know one romanian immigrant, she's been here a few years though, she has a job and pays taxes

[sp1814]

Just to complicate matters further...it's also revealed that 60% of Romanians and Bulgarians working in the UK...are self employed!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/10652199/Six-out-of-10-Romanian-and-Bulgarian-immigrants-claimed-self-employed-status.html

So, broadly speaking, they aren't coming for 'our jobs'.

However, just to complicate matters further, if you look at year-on-year figures, the numbers are up 26%:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/10829620/Number-of-Romanian-and-Bulgarian-workers-falls-since-EU-restrictions-relaxed.html

Head...slightly...spinning...

[jno]

looks like it rose some after restrictions were lifted, which is what you might expect, and not very much later is falling back.

[Zeuhl]

Two Bulgarians are currently refurbishing the loos in our office block

Or it's an elaborate method of stealing the copper piping and old tiles

[jno]

you'll be sorry when you find the whole loo has vanished. But the Bulgarian who sorts out my computer is excellent and doesn't overcharge. The more the merrier.

[tonyav]

They are quite inventive !
http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2014/05/09/eleven-men-charged-with-robbery-conspiracy/

[Zeuhl]

lol jno

the new tiles are grey limestone-type effect - walls, floor everywhere.

A bit brutal looking

we've nicknamed ours The Stasi Khazi

[jno]

for the caveman ambience then? Wonderful how the old fashions come round again.

[Khandro]

I do not know how accurate the statistics are, but I regularly cross the channel by ferry Dunkirk to Dover and on every crossing there are lots of them nearly all young males, and other nationalities too, (announcements are now made in English, French and Polish) how records are kept I don't know but they are not definitely not holidaymakers. There is a crossing every 2 hours.