Whose benefit?

John Brand (Letters, 25 November) makes some good points regarding EU immigrants. They are points which are, not surprisingly, stacked in favour of the European Union rather than British citizens.

It is true that EU citizens take jobs in the UK, often at cheaper rates than British workers would. I should know. My business is involved in helping people find jobs and, as I cover the UK, I am very well-placed to comment on this.

However, what Mr Brand does not mention is that this boon to the UK economy comes at a cost. British workers live here. They often have mortgages, children and parents to look after and pay for.

A great many of the EU workers who are coming over here are young and have no such commitments. They are, thus, geographically-flexible and able to afford to live on low wages, as they only have themselves to pay for in most cases. Indeed, thanks to the EU’s precarious currency policy with the eurozone, these young people have to leave their home countries because, in Spain, for example, young people are experiencing 50 per cent unemployment rates.

The other side of the coin is that British people who cannot up sticks and move for another job are discriminated against because they have commitments. Businesses may benefit, but do we, the British, benefit as a 
people?

I think that the answer is far less clear than Mr Brand would suggest and avoids addressing the human cost of free movement.

Andrew HN Gray

Craiglea Drive

Edinburgh