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Comments by Sanwar Ali:
It is an overly simplistic suggestion that reducing immigration will make things better for UK workers. Tough immigration controls restricting entry of badly needed workers affects businesses so making the employment situation worse. There is still ongoing uncertainty about how the UK will be able to cope with skills shortages when free movement of EU workers ends after the end of this year.
Despite recommendations made by the so-called independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) – a body that advises the UK government on all things immigration – Priti Patel has blocked the addition of builders to the Tier 2 visa shortage occupation list (SOL). Patel overruled the addition of builders ‘to help unemployed British workers.’
The Home Secretary confirmed that welders would also be excluded from the Tier 2 visa SOL. The MAC recommended the addition of builders (bricklayers) and welders along with care workers to ease skills shortages ahead of Britain’s official exit from the European Union on 31 December 2020.
Patel claim of putting British workers first
However, Patel has seemingly ignored the MAC’s suggestions and instead chose to omit builders and welders from the SOL. The Home Secretary said: “With the country in the grip of a coronavirus economic storm that is set to see unemployment soar, it’s vital that we keep positions open for British workers.”
Meanwhile, a source close to the Home Secretary said that Patel wants to ‘stand up for the white van man across the UK.’
The source added: “We must be realistic about the effect COVID-19 has had on the labour market and economy, and we know that people across the UK are currently looking for work. That is why it is right that we focus on the needs of British people.”
Favourable immigration arrangements
Jobs included on the SOL are subject to more favourable immigration arrangements, giving employers access to a greater pool of skilled workers. A series of other jobs have also been recommended by the MAC for inclusion on the SOL, including:
- Archaeologists
- Architects
- Artists
- Cyber Security Specialists
- Dancers and Musicians (Classical)
- Electricians
- Fishermen
- Meat Hygiene Inspectors
- Mechanics
- Nurses
- Paramedics
- Pharmacists
- Secondary School Teachers (for some subjects)
- Social Workers
- Vets
Coronavirus and unemployment rate in the UK
According to the think-tank the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), nearly three million people could be unemployed come Christmas, with at least 50% set to lose their jobs before the end of 2020.
CEBR’s warning comes following the release of data from its Business Distress Tracker and information published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which indicates that chancellor Rishi Sunak’s latest furlough scheme is ‘unlikely to prevent major job losses.’
Since the launch of the new furlough scheme, many areas of the UK have been put back into hard-hitting lockdowns in an effort to tackle a second wave of the coronavirus.
MAC praised by Home Secretary Patel
The MAC was commissioned to review the SOL in March and its latest report was praised by the Home Secretary in a letter sent to the body’s interim chair, Professor Brian Bell.
Ms Patel said: “I am very grateful to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) for its thoughtful and comprehensive report on the Shortage Occupations Lists (SOLs). Whilst the call for evidence was no doubt impacted by the challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic, the high-quality analysis of the evidence provided is clear.”
In the letter, Patel said any changes to the SOL would be ‘paused’ to assess how the UK labour market responds and recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of the new UK points-based immigration system on 1 January 2021.
Concluding the letter, the Home Secretary wrote: “We are absolutely not rejecting the advice of the MAC, which continues to be invaluable in ensuring a wide range of views are captured and expertly scrutinised, providing the much-needed element of transparency.”
“At this stage, given the circumstances, we intend to continue scrutinising the recommendations to ensure our approach to applying them aligns with the UK labour market, and will consider whether to implement some or all of them in a forthcoming set of changes to the Immigration Rules in 2021,” Patel said.
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