The prime minister has announced that to fill the UK’s skills gap the government is to focus on strengthening links between the Points Based System and training UK workers.

Gordon Brown said that, while the UK was not currently meeting demand for special categories of skilled workers under tier 2, which covers specialists like IT workers and engineers, by training UK workers and advertising jobs locally there had been a fall in migrants entering the UK under Tier 2 from 99,000 in 2007 to 81,000 in 2008, to 63,000 in 2009 for tier 2 or equivalents on the previous system.

Brown said that care workers and skilled chefs would be removed from shortage list in 2012 and 2014 respectively, adding that by then sufficient local people would be trained to do the jobs.

The prime minister said that the new Border Agency will be more effective in stopping people at the borders, biometric visas to allow illegal migrants to be identified with new ID cards for foreign nationals already being issued and new electronic border controls counting people in and out from the end of this year.

He added that by next year local immigration teams will cover every community in the UK– working to target gangmasters and rogue employers including those who undercut legitimate employers and depress wages by flouting the minimum wage.

REC director of external relations, Tom Hadley, says: “The availability of staff is crucial to the success of the recruitment industry, and the companies they supply.  If immigration is tightened up too far then the recovery could be at risk.  REC will continue to monitor the impact of immigration changes on recruitment through our specialist sector groups.
 
“The continued focus on ensuring companies do not employ illegal migrants is welcomed.”