Debunking the anti-immigrant political spew
The all too real rise of unemployment is an inescapable truth of our nation right now; something that is directly affecting the country’s youth. Yet, as the UK confronts rising unemployment amid an already turbulent and uncertain economic climate, right-wing populist discourse has surged to fill the vacuum with a familiar narrative. The time-old tale of job-stealing migrants, taking over our land and ruining our economy. This narrative has taken swift hold among an impressionable sector of society, fracturing communities and exploiting existing anxieties. In doing so, it preys on prejudice and hatred, weaponising both misinformation and ignorance to redirect public anger away from structural economic failures and toward migrants themselves. No matter how real the threat of unemployment is, the rush to blame immigrant communities is a calculated political manoeuvre based entirely on xenophobic agendas, and with a startling lack of legitimate evidence to back it up. So, in light of this, welcome to the HerCampus’ special episode of Mythbusters, breaking down the facts, figures, and fake news, to ultimately expose how the population is being misled by political leaders and far-right groups. The consequences are drastic: anti-immigration rhetoric has reared its ugly, violent head and incited extreme acts of aggression throughout the country; people are miseducated in matters of the economy and falling for false propaganda about migrants disrupting the workforce; and all this misplaced anger means that nothing is being done to solve the real roots of the issue, leaving the next generation of British jobseekers hanging in the balance.
According to the latest data of market statistics from the UK Parliament, published in January 2026, data shows that from September to November 2025, the number of unemployed people rose to its highest level since 2015. From the previous year, it had risen by 280,000 to a figure of 1.84 million unemployed. The unemployment rate rose to its highest level since 2021, while the youth unemployment rate remained at its highest level since early 2015. This is a clear indication of a weakening labour market. The rate of unemployment reached 5.1%, the highest level (outside of Covid pandemic figures) since early 2016, and this number is projected to remain elevated until 2026. Pay growth is also declining as a result of the labour market’s downturn. By the end of 2025, our average weekly wages (not including bonuses) had increased by a meagre £3.80, which barely covers the price of a cup of coffee in central London.
Forecasts by Hannah Slaughter, Senior Economist at the Resolution Foundation, reckon:
Additionally, according to the Office for National Statistics, the number of workers on payroll fell by 38,000 in November to 30.3 million, which was worse than anticipated and the worst decline in five years. Likewise, the number of individuals claiming unemployment benefits rose, suggesting that company layoffs also contributed to the most recent statistics.
Young people have been worst hit by the increase in unemployment, according to a recent Resolution Foundation investigation, which estimated that an additional 415,000 people under the age of 26 found themselves raising the unemployment rate from October 2020 to September 2025. As firms cut down on recruiting, the Resolution Foundation think tank claimed that a “jobs deficit” was driving an increasing proportion of graduates and non-graduates into unemployment. Nye Cominetti, the thinktank’s principal economist, told the Guardian: “Young people again find themselves at the heart of this downturn, just as they were in the wake of the financial crisis and Covid. Policymakers and employers need to redouble efforts to support them.”
For the nation’s young people, this rising unemployment is not an abstract statistic but a looming reality, characterised by rejected applications, uncertain work, and dwindling opportunities. However, as frustration and anxieties grow, so too does the search for simple explanations that often fail to confront fundamental, complex economic failings. Rather, political discourse has increasingly turned toward immigration, proposing an easy scapegoat for a far more complicated labour market crisis.
When it comes to politicians and populist publications, the issue of immigration is a constant talking point, yet it usually takes form in a distortion of the facts. Both sources aim to increase support or readership, whilst also influencing and pacifying public opinion. Most commonly, the well-worn phrase “immigrants steal our jobs” is repeated throughout these circles, reflecting anti-immigrant attitudes in many areas of society today. Usually conveyed through sensationalist headlines meant to elicit indignation, this notion is rarely based in reality. Furthermore, due to the growing dissemination of far-right, anti-immigrant material on social media, today’s algorithms run the risk of harbouring false information and harmful viewpoints, which can have detrimental effects. So what really are the facts?
- Immigrants can’t steal jobs that they are barred from getting.
The organisation Breaking Barriers reports that 67% of their clients spend more than a year waiting to attain refugee status, with some waiting even longer. 1 in 20 will wait for more than 10 years. During this period, most asylum seekers are barred from gaining employment and rely on government grants to cover food, sanitation, and clothing. These grants equate to only £7 per day. For individuals with refugee status, there are further obstructions to job opportunities. These include language barriers, lack of UK professional networks, qualifications or experience that are not recognised or qualifiable in the UK, and discrimination in hiring processes. As a result, refugees are actually around three times more likely to be unemployed than people born in the UK. How are people who are systemically directed to unemployment also stealing that same employment from others?
Plus, it is not a lack of skill that elicits this unemployment. Its occurrence is despite high levels of qualifications and talent. Breaking Barriers’ latest data indicates that almost three-quarters (71%) of people they supported in 2024-25 had at least an undergraduate degree or other Level 6 qualification. A further 24% held a master’s degree, PhD or other Level 7/8 qualification. Meanwhile, two-thirds had at least three years’ experience, while 30% had worked for 10 years or more.
Furthermore, many immigrants simply do not have access to the same employment prospects as native workers, therefore they cannot simply replace them. They frequently fill supplementary responsibilities that enhance those of native workers. Immigrants who work in the UK can, unfortunately, find themselves stuck at a low socioeconomic level. This is due to the fact that many are compelled to work in physical labour, usually in construction, healthcare, cleaning, or agriculture, which pays little and gives little opportunity for long-term advancement. It’s also important to keep in mind that immigrants do not just stroll into positions; they must go through the same interview procedure as native-born people, paired with the added challenge of speaking a second language.
Interestingly, according to a 2024 report by the Commission on the Integration of Refugees, the UK economy would benefit by £1.2 billion within five years if asylum applications were processed within six months to provide quicker access to the right to work, if refugees received specialised employment support after six months, and if refugees and asylum seekers received free English classes upon arrival.
- Immigrants play a positive role in the workforce and boost the economy.
Migration widens the workforce pool. A larger available workforce can improve productivity, allowing businesses of all sizes to grow both domestically and internationally. Thus, a higher production can, in turn, contribute to more open positions. By raising demand, immigrants cause firms and production to expand, resulting in new hiring. Immigrants frequently step into labour shortages that would otherwise constrain economic activity. High-skilled migrants drive technological adaptation, while lower-skilled workers facilitate occupational mobility and specialisation. Research indicates that immigration has no negative impact on local workers’ employment. Rather, it supports an expanding economy: for example, although they only make up 17% of the workforce in the United States, foreign-born workers account for 25% of GDP growth.
Furthermore, studies show that countries with more immigrants tend to experience faster GDP growth: according to UK government projections, a 350,000 increase in net migration would reduce borrowing by around £7.4 billion by 2028.
- Immigrants don’t take jobs; they create new ones.
A major issue in contentious public discussions over immigration is job loss, although actual evidence seldom informs public opinion. Contrary to popular claims, immigrants do not simply compete for a fixed number of jobs; many actively expand the labour market itself. Self-employed and business-owning immigrants generate employment directly by founding companies and hiring workers, while immigrant innovators contribute indirectly by driving productivity, firm expansion and long-term job growth within existing organisations. A substantial body of economic research consistently finds that immigration is associated with net job creation rather than displacement. This is reflected in state statistics: in California, which has one of the highest immigrant populations, the unemployment rate is lower than the national average, showing that immigration and robust labour market performance usually go hand in hand rather than clash.
Now that we have the facts, let’s address the fake news…
With the rise of the Reform Party, policies have come out presenting British workers as victims of immigration. The policies section of their website states: “British workers have been undercut for too long. We will end the importation of cheap foreign labour, supporting jobs and wages for British workers.” Using his political position, Reform leader Nigel Farage has circulated false information and conspiracy theories concerning migrant and minority groups. Farage’s breakthrough in the most recent general election and the surge of discontent with the present administration have allowed him greater freedom to propagate this deceptive propaganda that gives disenfranchised people greater assurance in him.
In recent years, with a particular peak during the summer of 2025, anti-immigration narratives have erupted into the streets, leading to riots, rallies, and a dramatic increase in racial violence throughout the United Kingdom. These incidents were the result of persistent disinformation, political opportunism, and internet amplification, rather than being simply spontaneous manifestations of economic dissatisfaction. The NGO Hope Not Hate described the protests and riots as having “no single organiser. Many have the support of the organised far right but appear locally led …Most of the planned events are more broadly focused, expressive of a wider hostility to multiculturalism, anti-Muslim and anti-migrant prejudice, as well as a visceral streak of populist, anti-government sentiment.” They depict the wave of anti-migrant demonstrations as dispersed yet ideologically cohesive, spurred by populist anti-government emotions and a larger animosity toward multiculturalism, religious minorities, and migrants. Alongside protests, there has been a rise in hate crimes nationwide, with assaults targeting British people from minority ethnic and religious backgrounds as well as migrants. Wolverhampton saw two Sikh taxi drivers brutally beaten, one of whom suffered fractured ribs, while York saw two Muslim men attacked by a gang of young people wearing masks. These cases highlight a crucial fact: the impact of increased anti-immigration discourse is indiscriminate, entangling entire populations irrespective of their citizenship or impact on the community.
In the end, decisions made by media outlets, political leaders and legislators are what cause the shift from economic concern to political hyperbole and ultimately to physical violence.