No one could have seen that coming.....Guardian article quoting Jeremy Corbyn and selective quotes about a proposal that hasn't yet been drafted or rolled out. The people who want high tech people, etc, will still get them, those that want low skill/low pay east Europeans won't ..........
Not so straight forward getting high skilled as a company will have to 'prove' it tried to recruit UK workers. Once a bureaucratic 'initiative' starts it will be for all workers in all sectors. You are right about 'a proposal that hasn't yet been drafted or rolled out' because it will be shot down by businesses that rely on migrant labour to make a profit and survive. Goes to show the Tories are at sixes and sevens over leaving the EU and mouth off first, to satisfy the anti Europeans in their party, before engaging their brains.
Edit. The selective quotes were from business people.
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Mike Cherry, the national chairman of the FSB, said: “British business is concerned at moves to ‘name and shame’ firms that employ workers from other nations. Fundamentally, the UK has been a global magnet for talent and this must be considered by ministers. The ability to hire the right people for the right job is paramount, and we will be championing this in the upcoming consultation.
“We also do not want to see small business owners turned into immigration officers nor encumbered by new bureaucracy. Our members will seek confirmation that entrepreneurs and the self-employed from other countries will remain welcome, as they contribute to the economic growth we all want to see.”
Manufacturers warned that foreign workers should not be regarded as a “simple statistic”.
Tim Thomas, the director of employment and skills policy at the EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, said: “The concept of businesses reporting the number of workers who are not UK nationals will be a complete anathema to all responsible employers. Ironically, at a time when the government says it wants to extend opportunity to all and promote inclusion, this proposal will be divisive and damaging to the UK’s diverse and multicultural workforces.
“The object, it seems, is to shame those employers with a proportion of non-UK workers above some hypothetic and arbitrary level. Workers, whether UK, EU or global contribute greatly to UK industry and should be welcomed and not regarded as a simple statistic.”
The Institute of Directors said businesses focused on the skills of workers rather than their nationality. Seamus Nevin, head of employment and skills policy at the IoD, said: “This is a concerning proposal from the government. The notion that employers prefer foreign workers to UK-born is wrong. Employers don’t discriminate by nationality – all that matters is the talent available.
“Immigrants are not like-for-like substitutes. They fill skills gap that cannot be filled domestically. Therefore it is hard to understand what government expects this ‘naming and shaming’ policy will achieve.”
Bosses in the technology industry warned that the plans could jeopardise the fledgling sector in Britain.
