The Government’s initiatives to tighten up the UK’s immigration system has received a mixed response from the recruitment industry. The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) has welcomed the move, but has advised that careful collaboration with businesses and recruiters is needed as the finer details are agreed.
“The UK must be able to compete on a global scale for highly skilled talent in sectors that are struggling with resources, including science, technology and healthcare,” notes Shazia Imtiaz, General Counsel at APSCo. “The focus from the Government’s announcement suggests this will be the case through these reforms. Of course, the devil is in the detail and we will need to review the full scope of the White Paper to truly ascertain if these plans are fit for purpose and allow businesses to still access core skills that are required to boost the economy and upskill the domestic workforce.”
“This major intervention in the labour market will leave many employers fearful that in tackling concerns about immigration, Government goes after the wrong target,” said Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) Chief Executive Neil Carberry. “Being open to skilled workers supporting businesses investing here is essential. And we should remember that the private sector has not been the source of the recent growth in numbers.
“It is crucial that labour market experts from business have a regular voice in the new Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG),” Carberry added. “This group must remain open to a flexible immigration system that responds quickly to changing market needs. Employers are clear: boosting training in the UK is essential, but so is a controlled, affordable and responsive immigration system that keeps investment flowing to the UK.”
Ben Willmott, head of public policy at the CIPD said the changes to the system should be considered alongside apprenticeships and training reform: “The potential changes announced today would further tighten the rules on the recruitment of overseas workers and leave employers in some sectors such as social care and construction questioning how they will find the workers needed to keep essential services going,” said Willmott.
“The idea that employers mainly recruit migrant workers because they don’t want to spend money training UK workers is just wrong. Our research has consistently shown that it’s employers recruiting from overseas that are most likely to be investing in the UK-born workforce, for example through apprenticeships and hiring from disadvantaged groups.
“We won’t tackle the underlying causes of why employers recruit overseas workers in such numbers until we reform our flawed and underfunded, vocational education and training system and offer better careers guidance to young people. We must also address the collapse in apprenticeships which lies at the heart of many of the skills shortages employers are facing.”
“As much as we agree that the UK skills market needs to be the focus for Government investment, we cannot overlook the critical role that international talent plays in remits that are facing a talent deficit,” said APSCo’s Shazia Imtiaz. “The plan to cut overseas care worker recruitment, for example, has the potential to only add to the resourcing headache the sector already faces unless managed appropriately.
“We are also keen to understand how the Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) will operate, and it will be key to ensure that this Group, like the Government, continues to consult and take feedback from the private sector and those working to fill key roles within it, including APSCo members. We will be consulting with members on the full details of the White Paper and will ensure that feedback is communicated with Government representatives at this crucial stage.”
