The number of jobs open to skilled migrant workers will be cut by 270,000 under proposals put forward by a Home Office committee.

In a review of the shortage occupation list where employers are allowed to bring in foreign workers without trying to fill them with British workers first, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommended removing quantity surveyors and construction industry managers from the list.

MAC made a number of other recommendations:

• only social workers for children remaining on the list, all others should be removed
• changes in the skill threshold for care assistants and chefs
• the removal from the list of some pharmacist and nursing jobs

Peter Cullimore, chair of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) nursing and social care group, and managing director of Universal Care, told Recruiterhe was “disappointed” with the recommendations.

“It appears that MAC has not reacted to the concerns about the reduced supply of care workers, particularly those who previously came to the UK under the Holiday Makers Scheme,” he says.

“The REC will continue to work for change in the eligibility requirements,” adds Cullimore.

Richard Smith, director of the social care division at recruitment consultancy BBT, part of Randstad, said: “We believe that removing social work for adult clients from the list would be detrimental to the social care sector. As a provider of temporary social workers in the UK, we have seen increasing levels of vacancies in this area over the last six months.

“According to recent data obtained by Community Care magazine from more than 80 councils, there is a 12% vacancy rate for adult social work, which is only 1% less than the rate for children’s services. It is important to recognise this in the listing and to allow employers to source highly skilled and vital staff from overseas where necessary.”

The government has yet to announce whether to accept MAC’s recommendations.