Foreigners also more likely to have set up their own business, report says

Foreigners are more likely to have a job in the UK than British workers, a new study has found.

Employment of British-born men has fallen below that of male workers from abroad, statistics from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) show.

David Cameron pledged to get net migration below 100,000 in his manifesto five years ago and has been widely criticised for failing to reach the target.

For the first time, the rate of employment among migrant men in this country, which stands at 77.8 per cent - has surpassed that of UK males - which is at 76/7 per cent

Immigration has since soared, with 318,000 more people coming to Britain last year than leaving – the highest number in a decade.

The new OECD report suggests that Britain is now one of the best countries in the world to come and seek a new life from abroad.

The employment rate for foreign-born men fell only slightly from 78 per cent to 77.8 per cent between 2006 and 2012.

But the proportion of men born in the UK in work slumped more sharply from 79.4 per cent to 76.7 per cent over the same period.

The OECD study also found the UK is attracting a higher number of well-qualified migrants, with almost half holding a degree, double the proportion six years ago.

Ukip MP Douglas Carswell said the numbers show the UK is an attractive destination for foreigners, meaning Britain must be more selective with who is allowed into the country

It also reveals that children of low-income migrants are more likely to become high-achievers in a British school than they would in any other schooling system in the EU.

UKIP MP Douglas Carswell told the Daily Telegraph: ‘This suggests that, if we are such an attractive place to come to, we should be able to be more selective.

‘At the moment a talented teacher from Singapore or a doctor from India finds it hard to come – but someone with no skills from the EU would have an automatic right.

‘People are concerned about the chaotic, inconsistent immigration system that breeds distrust – not individual immigrants.’