The Current Situatons of Jamicans in the British Labour Market

Since the 2nd World War Great Britain has tried to fill gaps on its labour market by people from
the Commonwealth. Indies, Pakistani and Caribbean were attracted by prospects of high wage
and social security. On the following pages I want to regard the situation of the Jamaican immigrants,
the largest section among the Caribbean who have entered Britain after 1945. I will focus
on their reasons for immigration, their situation in the educational system and in the British labour
market in past and present. The paper is a formulation of a talk from the 23rd January 2001. For the immigrants from the underdeveloped Caribbean islands, Britain seems as kind of wonderland.
Britain in their eyes does not only mean wealth and security, but as Christian society also
tolerance and charity towards strangers. Many Jamaicans spend all their money to offer their
children better education and a better future. All these expectations had lead to a fluctuation of
immigrants from the Caribbean after the post-war period. The most important reason for leaving
Jamaica is said to be the prospect of further education. In a study from 1994, 25 % of all immigrants
accounted for their step by the prospect of education; another 17 % left their home because
of work and economic prospects1. 1: Saunders, Dave. The West Indians in Britain. London: Batsford Academic and Educational, 1984. 20.