9th September 2008
Advice to the Government on cutting the number of non-EU workers coming to the UK will be announced today.
The Migrant Advisory Committee has compiled a 'shortage occupation list', giving the areas of work which are suffering from a skills shortage.
Employers whose jobs are not on the list are set to find it more difficult to bring in workers, and the changes are aimed at creating a more skilled labour supply.
On Monday, immigration minister Liam Byrne rejected calls for an immigration cap and quotas in favour of the skills shortage list.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Professor David Metcalf, chairman of the Migrant Advisory Committee, said an employer must overcome three "hurdles" to bring in a non-EU worker.
"Firstly the job has got to be skilled, secondly it has got to be in shortage and thirdly - and perhaps most importantly - it's got to be sensible to bring the person in," Professor Metcalf said.
"There we are looking at the tension between the short run fix of bringing immigrants in and the long term need to up-skill the economy."
One area which will be affected is teaching.
Currently any non-EU teacher with a degree is entitled to come to work in the UK. Under the new rules only science and maths teachers, of which there is a national shortage, will be eligible.
In addition, only care workers set to earn at least £8.80 an hour will be allowed to come to the UK.
The shortage occupation list is the latest development in the continuing overhaul of the UK's economic migration system, which last month saw the announcement that businesses will have to pay to use skilled workers from outside the EU.
New "hurdles" to non-EU workers
The Migrant Advisory Committee has compiled a 'shortage occupation list', giving the areas of work which are suffering from a skills shortage.
Employers whose jobs are not on the list are set to find it more difficult to bring in workers, and the changes are aimed at creating a more skilled labour supply.
On Monday, immigration minister Liam Byrne rejected calls for an immigration cap and quotas in favour of the skills shortage list.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Professor David Metcalf, chairman of the Migrant Advisory Committee, said an employer must overcome three "hurdles" to bring in a non-EU worker.
"Firstly the job has got to be skilled, secondly it has got to be in shortage and thirdly - and perhaps most importantly - it's got to be sensible to bring the person in," Professor Metcalf said.
"There we are looking at the tension between the short run fix of bringing immigrants in and the long term need to up-skill the economy."
One area which will be affected is teaching.
Currently any non-EU teacher with a degree is entitled to come to work in the UK. Under the new rules only science and maths teachers, of which there is a national shortage, will be eligible.
In addition, only care workers set to earn at least £8.80 an hour will be allowed to come to the UK.
The shortage occupation list is the latest development in the continuing overhaul of the UK's economic migration system, which last month saw the announcement that businesses will have to pay to use skilled workers from outside the EU.
Tags: Employment
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