Immigration cap reduces availability of skilled workers
1 min read
The temporary agency labour procurer de Poel has welcomed Prime Minister David Cameron's announcement yesterday (24 October) that the immigration cap may be eased after its research confirmed that it has been more difficult to find the right skilled workers since the temporary cap on non-EU skilled migrants was introduced in Britain.
De Poel found that one in three recruitment agencies had seen up to a 25% decrease in migrant workers with one in five of them believing that the manufacturing sector had been hit the hardest.
The survey findings also pointed to a drop in the use of temporary agency labour during September, re-enforcing fears of a possible downturn in the jobs market.
The number of hours worked by temporary agency staff dipped by 13% compared to August as companies cut staff due to fears of a double dip recession and the impact of the comprehensive spending review.
Matthew Sanders, CEO of de Poel said: "The Government's temporary cap on non-EU skilled migrants is very concerning for the future of our workforce and the quality of our staff, which is why we welcome David Cameron's plans to possibly water down the cap.
"The Government needs to design the migration system so that it prevents migrants from undercutting British job-seekers but it doesn't harm economic recovery and hopefully the Government's plans for a permanent cap will take this into consideration."
The temporary cap, introduced by the coalition Government in June 2010, will cut the number of skilled workers from outside Europe by 1,300 by April 2011. A permanent cap is still under review.
