As the Brexit debate rages on, the government is gearing up to confirm new immigration rules, including the end to freedom of movement for people from the EU. The warning light should be flashing for businesses, particularly in the capital. If immigration is curtailed, who will do the jobs? We are at full employment, and London is already facing labour shortages. We must therefore ensure that, once we have left the EU, we have a new streamlined immigration system that allows business to access the skills they need, while ensuring that the right controls are in place. At the top of our list of reforms, put together with input from over 200 of London’s employers, is scrapping the arbitrary net migration target to bring numbers down to below 100,000 migrants per year. The target should be replaced with a single managed system with clear routes into the UK for overseas workers of all skills levels, focusing on the people the economy needs, rather than crude numbers. The existing … [Read more...] about Scrap the migration target and open the doors to global talent
Resident labour market test
Cutting immigration may cause labour shortages
Cutting immigration may cause labour shortages BelfastTelegraph.co.uk The UK vote in favour of Brexit was heavily influenced by concerns, more often expressed in England than Northern Ireland or Scotland, that continuing as a member of the EU would mean that the flow of new arrivals from elsewhere in the EU might be potentially so large that specific policies to limit the number of immigrants would be needed. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/brexit/cutting-immigration-may-cause-labour-shortages-37461981.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/incoming/article37472588.ece/81d10/AUTOCROP/h342/Wrightbus.jpg Email The UK vote in favour of Brexit was heavily influenced by concerns, more often expressed in England than Northern Ireland or Scotland, that continuing as a member of the EU would mean that the flow of new arrivals from elsewhere in the EU might be potentially so large that specific policies to limit the number of immigrants would be needed. In preparation for … [Read more...] about Cutting immigration may cause labour shortages
Jacqueline Moore: Employers must be ready to take stock
0 Have your say An end to free movement post-Brexit heralds the most significant change to immigration law in a generation and will present new challenges to businesses that have relied on EU workers. Few businesses are likely to be immune, given the prevalence of EU workers across all economic sectors. To help the UK government determine future immigration policy, it commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), an independent public body, to provide an evidence-based report on EU migration. The recommendations, published last month, relied on evidence from 250 organisations of varying sizes employing more than 114,000 workers across a range of sectors. While the UK government is not bound by the recommendations, it has broadly followed them in the past.The MAC’s headline recommendation was that if the UK government is not constrained by a future deal with the EU, it sees no compelling argument for a preferential system for EU citizens. Instead, it … [Read more...] about Jacqueline Moore: Employers must be ready to take stock
How Sweden hopes to get more foreign-born residents voting
This feature is part of The Local's Sweden in Focus series, taking an in-depth look at the issues that make this country tick. Click here to read more articles. "If you want to see change, you have to be a part of the process," says Ahmed Abdirahman, a policy expert at Stockholm's Chamber of Commerce and founder of NGO The Global Village. With his NGO, he also set up Järvaveckan, an annual political festival held in Stockholm's northern suburbs. "I don't want people to be sitting in [Stockholm neighbourhood] Tensta saying everything is terrible and politicians don't care about us," he explains. "There's no use cursing the darkness; we need to light a candle. Nothing can be done alone, so we all have responsibility: journalists, politicians, NGOs, citizens." His neighbourhood, Tensta in the north of Stockholm, is listed as one of Sweden's 61 'vulnerable' areas – districts characterized by low socioeconomic status and which also typically have a high proportion of … [Read more...] about How Sweden hopes to get more foreign-born residents voting
Stalled US oil market recovery leaves many jobless in Texas
Updated 12:49 pm, Monday, May 7, 2018 Photo: Gary Fountain, AP Image 1of/1 CaptionClose Image 1 of 1 A May 1, 2018 photo shows a general view of the exhibition floor at a recent Offshore Technology Conference held at NRG Park, Houston, Texas. Skilled workers in Texas are still looking for jobs as U.S. employment in the oil and gas industry continues to lag behind rising oil prices. (Gary Fountain/Houston Chronicle via AP) less A May 1, 2018 photo shows a general view of the exhibition floor at a recent Offshore Technology Conference held at NRG Park, Houston, Texas. Skilled workers in Texas are still looking for jobs as U.S. ... more Photo: Gary Fountain, AP Stalled US oil market recovery leaves many jobless in Texas 1 / 1 Back to Gallery HOUSTON (AP) — Skilled workers in Texas are still looking for jobs as … [Read more...] about Stalled US oil market recovery leaves many jobless in Texas