The Recruitment and Employment Confederation is urging the Government to consider the needs of the British jobs market before imposing a limit on immigration. This follows today’s comments from Business Secretary Vince Cable confirming that such a cap is already costing thousands of jobs and hurting the country’s fragile recovery.
In its response to recent consultations by the Migration Advisory Committee and the UK Border Agency, the REC has highlighted the implications that the cap on economic migration will have on the ability of UK businesses to access the right level of talent.
Commenting on the Government’s plans, Tom Hadley, the REC’s Director of External Relations said:
“Immigration is a highly sensitive and politicised issue. However, it is crucial to ensure that any cap is regularly reviewed and that it reflect the needs of the jobs market. Of course we must also focus on up-skilling and providing opportunities for UK workers – in particular, by building better bridges into the world of work for young job-seekers. However, the feedback from recruitment professionals confirms that there are ongoing skills shortages which in the short term can only be addressed by dipping into the world-wide talent pool. Restricting this global reach will put the country’s economic recovery at risk.”
The REC has been in regular dialogue with specialised recruiters to identify specific jobs that will be hard to fill. One concern is that multi-national businesses who are already finding it difficult to hire key staff will look at relocation as an option.
Through its Youth Employment Taskforce report Avoiding a Lost Generation, the REC has outlined practical measures for up-skilling UK workers and for enhancing practical guidance on future job opportunities.
