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More flexibility needed for non-EU workers

The Charted Institute of Personnel and Development have called for measures to ensure sufficient skilled non-EU workers can enter the workforce as the economy recovers.

New restrictions will prevent non-EU students from remaining in the UK after their studies to take up jobs.

Therefore, the CIPD, is supporting the recommendations from the Migration Advisory Committee to maintain the current Tier 2 visa limit for skilled non-EU workers.

A freezing of the current Tier 2 visa limit for April 2012-13 would still amount in real terms to a 25% decrease in the total number of non-EU skilled workers available to employers, as many who formerly came through the post-study route would now transfer to Tier 2.

The CIPD argues that a fall of this magnitude could leave employers without the means to fill skilled vacancies, if business conditions improve in the next 12 months.

Gerwyn Davies, CIPD Public Policy Adviser, comments: “With the post study route due to close in April, the Government needs to be ready to raise the Tier 2 visa bar to ensure UK employers have access to the skills they need to drive growth.

“As the economy recovers, demand for skilled staff could quickly outstrip demand. Tier 2 visas account for a very small proportion of total immigration but could make a big difference to British business.

“Growth must be prioritised over symbolic measures to ‘crack down on immigration’. Even at current levels, the number of Tier 2 visas is so low that any further reductions would have a very limited impact on its overall aim of reducing net migration levels to the level of the tens of thousands.”

The CIPD has also recommended a £40,000 income threshold for intra-company transferees by maintained, so that migrants do not under cut UK workers.

Research from the CIPD suggests that the economic crisis and stagnation in the labour market has meant that only a tiny proportion of UK employers sat the permanent cap has had a damaging impact on them since its introduction in April last year.

As the economy recovers, the CIPD argues the Government must be ready to respond employers needs, with access to a sufficient supply of skilled labour to drive growth and international competitiveness.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .