Four months after the EU was enlarged with 10 new member states, Sweden has noted a sharp raise in the number of employees from the new countries applying for work permits

Four months after the EU was enlarged with 10 new member states, Sweden has noted a sharp raise in the number of employees from the new countries applying for work permits. Compared to the figures from last year, the number of applications for work permits from people from the ten new EU member states went up by 74 percent in the four months from May to August, according to official statistics from the Swedish Migration Board. From May to August 2004 a total of 2017 applications were registered of which more than half, 1113, were made by Polish workers. In the same period last year the total number of applications was 1161. The statistics only cover work permits of more than three months duration. The trend resembles that in the Netherlands. In May, June and July the Dutch issued 11,000 work permits, compared to 5000 in the same period last year, according to the Dutch Centre for Pay and Employment. More than 8,500 of the Dutch permits were delivered to Polish workers. The number of workers from new member states seeking work in Ireland has also risen sharply since EU enlargement on 1 May. Government figures released last month (6 August) showed almost 23,000 people from the new member states had sought employment in Ireland in the first three months after enlargement.