8 out of 10 freshly employed in UK were born overseas

LONDON - Figures compiled by the British Government reveal that foreign-born workers are snapping up jobs, even as Britons languish on benefits.

Nearly eight out of 10 people starting a new job in the past three months were born overseas, according to official statistics.

The details emerged as Britain was buoyed by its biggest jobs gain for 21 years, with the overall number out of work dropping 49,000 to 2.46 million.

But British-born workers are being left behind. Of 188,000 extra people winning jobs in the three months to June some 145,000 - or 77 per cent - were born abroad.

Year-on-year figures painted an equally damning picture, revealing that the number of British-born workers fell by 15,000 while the number of foreigners in jobs rose by 114,000.

Critics said the figures showed many Britons preferred to claim handouts rather than work for a living. (ANI)