The Home Office’s decision to put on hold the proposed shake-up to its migration rules will no doubt be a topic of discussion at the upcoming Leaders Council roundtables.
The government had commission a review of the shortage occupation list last summer, with the expectation that additional industries would be added to the list, thus making it easier for migrants who work in those industries to come to the UK.
The shortage occupation list is designed to make migration easier in the industries that are finding it difficult to recruit locally. Construction is one such industry, with many in the sector hoping that occupations such as bricklaying and masonry would be added to the list.
But the Migration Advisory Committee, the body tasked with the review, has revealed that the government had told it to put the review on pause.
This is what the committee said at their annual review:
‘This review is currently on hold at the request of the Home Office pending clarification from the government on migration policy.
‘This may alter the specific details of the commission and we do not think it would be in the interest of stakeholders to begin a call for evidence that may not reflect the final parameters of the commission.
‘We will continue to press the government to reach a decision on this commission as soon as possible.’
When the Leaders Council hosts its ‘Workforce of the Future’ roundtables at the Caledonian Club, with directors and executives from several industries including construction, the role of migration in the wake of Brexit is likely to feature as a discussion point.
It is worth noting, however, that, according to the Office for National Statistics, net migration to the UK last year was the highest on record.
Nonetheless, constructionnews.co.uk reports that the inflexibility in the post-Brexit migration rules are causing skills shortages in key areas. They also point out that some of the record-breaking migration last year was a result of humanitarian schemes to take in people from Hong Kong and Ukraine.
According to a report from the Construction Industry Training Board, 224,900 extra workers will be needed between now and 2027 to meet construction demand.
This is just one of the topics that is likely to come up at the ‘Workforce of the Future’ roundtables, where the key talking points will be:
- The root causes and effects of the skills shortage.
- The successes and failures of apprenticeship schemes.
- The link between education and industry.
- How the workforce may change over the next ten years.
After the roundtables, all participants will be sent a short summary about the discussion. This will also be sent on to relevant figures in parliament and Whitehall.
We will then begin putting together a in-depth special report based on the topics we have discussed. This special report will typically include commentary from MPs, industry body leaders and Leaders Council members.
The special report will be published roughly two months after the date of the roundtable discussion. Its release will be marked with an event at the Houses of Parliament.
If you are a Leaders Council member who would like to attend one of these roundtables, please get in touch with your account manager.
If you are not yet a Leaders Council member but would still like to take part, you can contact us here:
https://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/apply
Photo by Jeriden Villegas on Unsplash
