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Migrants make a significant and growing contribution to Scotland’s workforce. Since 2019 the number of foreign-born workers employed in Scotland has grown steadily and all sectors of the labour force have experienced a rise in the proportion of jobs filled by non-UK nationals. Many of the vacancies filled by foreign nationals are in sectors experiencing high demand and skills gaps. Across the Scottish economy there is an increased reliance on non-EU workers which raises potential issues for employers and sectors which were not such a concern before Brexit.
This MPS Monitoring Report brings together data from ONS, HMRC, DWP, and the Scottish census to present insight into trends in the employment of migrants within Scotland’s workforce since 2019. It reviews some of the changes in legislation governing work visas and sponsorship and how these may impact on Scottish employers and sectors. The report also highlights gaps and limitations to the reliability of data which hamper our ability to get a clear picture of the role and importance of migration in the labour force.
This report is part of a series of MPS Monitoring Reports
This is the first in our new series of monitoring and tracking reports for 2026.