Hysteria
about the number of workers from new European Union countries ‘stealing’ UK
jobs is unfounded, according to a new poll.
Just
over a third of employers said they were planning to recruit staff from the 10
accession countries to fill a shortage of skilled workers. And most of the 100
HR managers polled by recruitment firm Barkers said EU enlargement was a step
towards a greater global flow of labour.
"The
enlargement of the EU offers employers a new pool of talent from which to
recruit," said Barkers managing director Robert Peasnell. "But our
survey shows that unless organisations have a particular skills shortage to
fill they are unlikely to proactively seek applications from accession
countries."
Another
report has urged manufacturers to ‘seize the potential’ offered by EU
enlargement from this weekend.
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The
EEF, which represents engineers and manufacturers, said that failing to take
advantage of the growth opportunities would leave competitors with a head start.
