I
t was the government’s Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) that proposed the abolition of the SOL in its annual review in October. The MAC said it was unconvinced the list provided a sensible
immigration solution to UK labour shortages, and that it opened the door to exploitation by companies because they could pay lower salaries than those required for other visas for skilled workers. Professor Brian Bell, who chairs the MAC, said: “We
are not convinced that the SOL is an effective tool to address labour shortages across different occupations and sectors. If ministers accepted this key recommendation, it would mean most of the roles currently on the list are no longer eligible as they would receive only a ‘negligible benefit’ by being included.” Instead, the committee urged the government to
overhaul the current system and devise a new, all- embracing scheme to address individual occupations or sectors where labour market shortages were particularly acute. The MAC said new measures, including wages, terms and conditions, training and education and investment in technology were “likely to be a more sustainable response” to shortages. However, Karendeep Kaur, legal director at Migrate
UK, said that the MAC’s proposals for a new system would not address the UK’s immediate labour issues. She told ‘People Management’ magazine: “In the interim, businesses are struggling to recruit talent, with hospitality and agriculture continuing to be the hardest
hit. It is unlikely that these sectors would benefit with the proposed idea to just invest in training and education.” Skills listed on the SOL currently enable companies
to fill job vacancies with overseas staff on lower visa fees and pay them 80% of their role’s usual rate, down to a minimum of £20,960. Of the 92 occupations on the SOL reviewed by the committee, the MAC has recommended that only eight remain on the UK-wide list before a new scheme is introduced. Those occupations include care workers, lab technicians, bricklayers, roofers and animal care workers. Additionally, in Scotland only, the committee suggested fishing and forestry managers and boat and shipbuilders be included.
BUSINESSES REACT TO THE MAC’S RECOMMENDATIONS The MAC’s proposals have not gone down well with business leaders who have long called for a more liberalised approach to immigration to boost economic growth. Within a fortnight of publication of the MAC’s proposals, the ‘Employment Trends Survey’, published by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Pertemps Network Group, showed almost two-thirds of UK companies wanted the SOL expanded, not abolished. The CBI/Pertemps survey found that labour
shortages were having a material impact on firms’ ability to invest, respond to demand and grow. While about seven in ten businesses said they were trying to narrow
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GLOBAL MOBILITY
IMMIGRATION
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