Hire non-EU workers 'only as a last resort'_2
17 September 2012
Candidates from outside EU accession states should be sourced "only as a last resort", according to a recruiter with an office in Poland.
John Davison, managing director of Europeople, which sp
John Davison, managing director of Europeople, which sp
Candidates from outside EU accession states should be sourced "only as a last resort", according to a recruiter with an office in Poland.
John Davison, managing director of Europeople, which specialises in recruiting skilled and semi-skilled manual workers from the EU, told Recruiter: "If I was advising company directors to use countries outside the EU, it would only be as a last resort." He said that EU candidates are preferable because employing them negates the paperwork associated with non-EU candidates, such as visas.
Davison's comments come in the wake of immigration minister Liam Byrne announcing a wave of measures to combat illegal immigration.
These involve creating partnerships with bodies like the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, local authorities, police, HM Revenue & Customs and local agencies.
Unscrupulous recruiters will also be targeted by multi-agency workplace enforcement teams, who would operate regionally.
Davison questioned whether the government will have the "will" to take action against rogue operators. "It is going to be a question of how well the proposals are enforced."
Trade body the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has also said proper enforcement of the proposals will be key.
"Over the last few years, an increasing onus has been placed on employers and recruitment agencies to check individuals' rights to work in the UK," said REC's director of external relations, Tom Hadley. "REC has consistently called for more support from the Home Office and so we welcome the announcement. Better enforcement against rogue providers that knowingly place illegal workers and undercut law abiding agencies is long overdue."
John Davison, managing director of Europeople, which specialises in recruiting skilled and semi-skilled manual workers from the EU, told Recruiter: "If I was advising company directors to use countries outside the EU, it would only be as a last resort." He said that EU candidates are preferable because employing them negates the paperwork associated with non-EU candidates, such as visas.
Davison's comments come in the wake of immigration minister Liam Byrne announcing a wave of measures to combat illegal immigration.
These involve creating partnerships with bodies like the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, local authorities, police, HM Revenue & Customs and local agencies.
Unscrupulous recruiters will also be targeted by multi-agency workplace enforcement teams, who would operate regionally.
Davison questioned whether the government will have the "will" to take action against rogue operators. "It is going to be a question of how well the proposals are enforced."
Trade body the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has also said proper enforcement of the proposals will be key.
"Over the last few years, an increasing onus has been placed on employers and recruitment agencies to check individuals' rights to work in the UK," said REC's director of external relations, Tom Hadley. "REC has consistently called for more support from the Home Office and so we welcome the announcement. Better enforcement against rogue providers that knowingly place illegal workers and undercut law abiding agencies is long overdue."
