A Brave New World Ahead For The Caribbean Diaspora In The UK

diaspora
Author

Jenson Sylvester

Release Date

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

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The history of the Caribbean diaspora is built on the idea of migration. Throughout the history of the Caribbean, we have seen the movement of our people to new lands. It is my opinion that this has primarily been in search of new and better opportunities outside of the region.

Whilst I understand that there have been migrations for other reasons, like natural disasters, it cannot be denied that one of the main reasons that the Caribbean Diaspora is so large and prosperous is that there is a view that more opportunities exist in countries like the UK, Canada, Europe and Asia.

I would argue that this economic migration has resulted in the development of our people at home and abroad. Our people throughout history have also had a significantly positive impact on the economic growth of many of these countries.

Since World War II, many Caribbean people migrated to North America and Europe, especially to the United States, Canada, the UK, France, and the Netherlands. As a result of the losses during the war, the British government began to encourage mass immigration from the countries of the British Empire and Commonwealth to fill shortages in the labour market. The 1948 British Nationality Act gave British citizenship to all people living in Commonwealth countries, and full rights of entry and settlement in Britain.

The ship MV Empire Windrush brought the first group of 492 immigrants to Tilbury, near London, England, on 22 June, 1948.T he Windrush was en route from Australia to England via the Atlantic, docking in Kingston, Jamaica. An advertisement had appeared in a Jamaican newspaper offering cheap transport on the ship for anybody who wanted to go and work in the UK. The arrivals were temporarily housed in the Clapham South deep shelter in southwest London, less than a mile away from Coldharbour Lane in Brixton. Many only intended to stay in Britain for a few years, and although a number returned to the Caribbean, the majority remained to settle in the UK permanently. The arrival of the passengers has become an important landmark in the history of modern Britain, and the image of West Indians filing off its gangplank has come to symbolise the beginning of modern British multicultural society.

There was plenty of work in post-war Britain and industries such as British Rail, the National Health Service and public transport recruited almost exclusively from Jamaica, Barbados and other Caribbean countries. The total population of persons of West Indian heritage by 1981 was between 500,000 and 550,000, depending upon the official source used. I am sure that this story is mirrored in similar fashion in places like the United States, Canada and mainland Europe.

Things are different now

Earlier this month, the Institute for Fiscal Studies projected that there will be 3.1 million children in poverty in the UK by 2013. UK unemployment rose by 114,000 between June and August 2011, to 2.57 million, a 17-year high, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the UK said the unemployment rate also increased to 8.1%.The unemployment total for 16-24 year olds also hit a record high of 991,000 in the quarter, a jobless rate of 21.3%.

These dire statistics not only create problems for UK citizens but also too for the new generation of Caribbean nationals who come to this country in search of opportunity. I had the pleasure of interviewing Lisa, a 22 year old graduate with a Masters In Marketing, who explained to me that she is feeling the brunt of the current economic climate.' She came to the UK from Jamaica, like generations before her, to further her education and start a solid career. Having been schooled in Jamaica and the United States, she felt that her prospects for finding a good marketing job in London would be high having completed her Masters at a reputable University in London. Twelve interviews and many applications later, she is nowhere close to realising her dream.

Most reputable Universities in the UK have close ties to commercial organisations who conduct graduate conferences and meetings to lure students to their organisations close to the completion of the students' courses. When I asked her about her experience during these fairs, she said that she felt that there was a "one in a million"chance of her finding a job using that route. She informed me that at one such event, one of her potential employers stated that they had 600,000 applicants for some 500 positions. With numbers like that I quickly understood how it could feel like a "one in a million" chance of landing a job at that firm. She explained that these numbers where similar in all of the firms that she targeted during her job search at the end of her Masters programme.

We went on discuss the impact that this is having on her views of the UK and her longer term plans for life here. I found her analysis profound, in that she realised that having a job is more than just a pay cheque. She said that is was about your feeling of self worth, involvement in society, life lessons and outlook on life in general. It struck me that this must have been very different in 1948, where there were many more jobs than people.' We concluded that it would probably be easier to find employment in Jamaica if she used her network of family and friends. Indeed, she declared that this could not continue for another year and if she wasn't able to find something suitable, she would be forced to go back.

This experience relates to one individual in a very specific situation here in the UK. I can't help but feel, however, that there must be hundreds if not thousands of young Caribbean people around the world that have been disappointed as a result of the current levels of high employment in the United States and the UK.

What does this all mean?

Taking all of this into account, are we essence seeing a shift in the way the Caribbean Diaspora will evolve over the coming years? I am of the view that the countries that we naturally looked towards for opportunity may not have the opportunities that they once had.

There is a view that the world is changing, it has been widely reported that this recession is very different from many of the recessions in the history of the world. With economic forecasts in UK suggesting that there will be relatively low growth for years, many are asking how this will impact the movement of people from the Caribbean. Whilst those of us who live outside of the region will probably continue to do so and continue to make valuable contributions, it will be interesting to see how tighter controls on immigration and a prolonged recession will impact the movement of the next generation of young Caribbean migrants.

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Jenson Sylvester is a Business Analyst with MNI Alive.

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