Many public services and private businesses depend on migrant workers, one sector commentator has claimed.
Brendan Barber, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) general secretary, said that the whole of the country could benefit from the skills and work such employees bring.
"To maximise the benefits of migration and minimise the dangers of undercutting, exploitation and community division, we need strong and equal rights at work for everyone," he noted.
Mr Brendan added that this was important regardless of where a worker came from or what they did.
His comments come after a report by the Institute for Public Policy Research revealed that increasing numbers of immigrants coming to the UK are only staying in the country for a short time before departing.
The study also found that three million migrants have left in the last 30 years but that the rate of departure could be increasing, despite a new citizenship scheme launched by the government recently which aims to reward migrant workers with points for skills learned in the UK.
