Is Migrant Labour the best solution to the skills gap in the UK?

The Chief Executive at Osbornes, Mr David Fison, has been encouraging those in the construction industry to recognise the importance of skilled immigrants, and stop calling for more restrictive immigration rules before the general election this year.

Mr Finson explains that there is an ever-increasing skills shortage in the UK construction  industry and that immigration presents a solution to keeping the workforce ‘topped up’ with skilled european workers. He believes this is essential to sustaining the ongoing recovery of the industry, and the UK economy, and that whilst the recovery will need a multifaceted approach, it can not be done without outsourcing some skilled jobs to skilled migrants.

Barriers to Recovery

However, with EU immigration being one of the main concerns for the British public, it is easy to see why many political parties – especially UKIP and the Conservatives – are focussing key policies on limiting migrant labour to appease the public.

This is why Finson is calling on others in the industry to make sure politicians are aware of the consequences of creating barriers to immigration, and the impact this will have on construction as a whole.

However, Labour MP, Nick Raynsford was quoted in November last year as saying that contractors employing EU migrants to fill skills gaps are actually fuelling the fire against immigration. He’s concerned that this type of employment strategy will boost support for parties like UKIP and their tough immigration policies as more and more people are sympathising with the ‘british jobs for british people’ sentiment.

The Importance of Apprenticeships

Another solution would be to hire unskilled UK workers, as apprentices, and train them up on the job. This might be a less contentious solution that many would agree with, especially in light of the alternative being to hire foreign skilled workers.

The problem is that more than 400,000 people were forced out of the industry during the last recession, and a further 400,000 workers are set to retire in the next 5 years – so the UK would need to expand the apprentice programme much more rapidly than it is capable of. It is just not possible to make up the estimated shortfall in workers by using apprentices alone.

To put this into perspective, last year in the UK there were only 8,030 construction apprenticeships completed.

Sustained Investment in our Apprentices

No matter where you stand on immigration and migrant Labour in the UK, it is difficult to deny that we need a multifaceted approach to alleviating the skills gaps and workers shortage. While many support construction apprenticeships, for them to become more successful the apprentice programmes in the UK would need substantial investment to expand, and so the next UK government must be prepared to put more money into the industry to see it grow.

In the meantime, migrant labour seems to be a fast and effective solution to keeping the industry ticking over.

Health and Safety Training Ltd

Here at Health and Safety Training, we want to encourage as many people as possible to take up an apprenticeship.

Whether you’re an employer looking to expand your workforce, or you’re looking for a step up into the industry – simply get in touch. We offer a range of apprenticeship programmes and are currently expanding our services and programmes to make a job in the industry as accessible as possible.