Success of measures to limit illegal workers welcome

The initial success of the Government’s worker registration scheme to combat the problem of illegal migrant workers is welcome, but Government should continue to resist pressure to further limit migration, which could restrict the legitimate supply of migrant labour and damage business success in the UK. These are the conclusions of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the leading professional body for those involved in the management and development of people.

The CIPD’s views are backed up by a survey showing UK employers struggling to fill vacancies in the face of ongoing skills shortages amongst UK workers.

Dr John Philpott, CIPD Chief Economist, said:

Today’s figures demonstrate the success of the UK Government’s registration scheme in reducing the number of illegal workers. All other EU states should be encouraged to adopt a similar approach. The work permits favoured by some states send out the wrong signal on labour mobility within Europe. They also create additional red tape for employers and can simply encourage migrants to work illegally.

However, our research clearly shows that employers need a legitimate supply of migrant labour to combat UK skills shortages as they struggle to fill vacancies. This puts the heated political debate about immigration into perspective. Any further arbitrary tightening of the rules governing immigration could risk damaging business prosperity and government efforts to improve public services. The Government must continue to resist such pressure.

Data from the CIPD’s latest Quarterly HR Trends and Indicators Survey found that recruitment difficulties and skills shortages are sending employers overseas in their hunt for talent:

* Over half of all employers say professional vacancies (38%) and skilled trade vacancies (14%) have proved most difficult to fill over the summer.

* Almost one in three employers (28%) is planning to recruit workers from overseas this autumn.
* Amongst larger companies (more than 500 employees), this figure rises to 40%.

* Recruitment from abroad varies from region to region - in London, 45% of employers intend to recruit from abroad, compared to only 13% in the North East.

* The public sector is most likely to turn to migrant workers - 34% of public sector employers are planning to do so, compared to 27% in the private sector and 24% in the not-for-profit sector.

* Three-quarters (75%) of employers are offering migrant workers permanent contracts, while less than 10% are offering only short-term or seasonal contracts.
* Professional skills (45%) and technical skills (22%) are the main attributes that employers are seeking from abroad.

Dr John Philpott, CIPD Chief Economist, said:
It is interesting to note that the majority of employers are using migrant labour to fill vacancies requiring professional and technical skills, and are offering permanent contracts - against a common perception of low-skill, low-paid and casual jobs for migrant workers.