UK IMMIGRATION NEWS

East of England needs migrant workers to help beat recession

Friday, 27 March 2009

Whilst a growing number of unemployed local people are given support to find jobs or learn new skills, the East of England needs migrant workers to plug employment gaps and beat the recession.

This is the message from a report commissioned by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) which was partly funded from the European Social Fund.

The first report, written by the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), says many employers in the East of England rely on migrant workers. 'Migrant worker availability in the East of England - an economic risk assessment' demonstrates that migrants play an important role in filling skills gaps that exist in some parts of the region.

The report admits that the recession will cause the demand for migrant labour to decline, but argues that the regional economy will continue to need international workers.

Deborah Cadman, chief executive of EEDA, said:

"Our first priority is putting significant investment into raising the skills of the local workforce. In these difficult economic times however, it's vital that businesses can get the workers they need."

"We need migrant workers to plug employment gaps in the East of England. Where the right workers aren't available locally, employers must be able to draw on a wider pool of international workers. With these reports EEDA is providing the evidence to help private and public sector partners make decisions so we can get the region through the tough economic times and prepare for the eventual upturn."

Dr Jill Rutter, Senior Research Fellow at IPPR, said:

"Our research in the East of England has shown that many businesses, from agriculture to high-tech, depend on workers from other countries to survive and grow. Often this is because there are not enough local workers with the right skills and experience. In other cases migrants provide vital, flexible labour where British people can't do the job for practical reasons or simply don't want to do it. So if the availability of migrant labour decreases, the economy could be at significant risk."

Although EEDA has recently provided training opportunities for over 2000 locals in the region, some skills gaps will take many years to close, while businesses is continuously in demand for highly-skilled workers who are not easily available in the UK.

Other vacancies that are seasonal or in remote locations will also remain unsuitable even for those who become unemployed during the recession and will continue to require migrants who can be more flexible about where and when they work.

If you are interested in UK Visas, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to the UK.