Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Economics, government & businessLatest NewsEmployment lawSkills shortagesImmigration

MP claims Tory immigration policy will damage economy

by Personnel Today 11 Oct 2005
by Personnel Today 11 Oct 2005

A senior Conservative MP has urged his party to change its policy on immigration, arguing that economic migration is a feature of a successful trading nation in the 21st century.

John Bercow, former shadow minister for work and pensions, said the plan to limit the number of immigrants coming into the UK would damage the economy. He described the policy as misguided.

“Labour market flexibility is vital to a successful economy. Demand and supply can fluctuate, often sharply and suddenly,” Bercow said. “Any government limit would be based on a piece of arbitrary guesswork.”

But Bercow’s views, contained in a Social Market Foundation report published this week, are not backed by many of his party colleagues, research shows.

A Mori survey of 29 conservative MPs, released by Skills for Business during last week’s Conservative party conference, revealed that fewer than 20% support economic migration as a means to reduce the UK’s skills shortages.

This contrasts with the views of MPs in the other two main political parties – most of whom believe that economic migration should be encouraged.

Professor Mike Campbell, director of research at Skills for Business, said: “The fact that Tories are so against economic migration is a startling revelation.

“Skills gaps and shortages have been identified in research as the root of the UK’s falling productivity levels. Migrant workers introduce new skills, and it is important for all MPs to appreciate the benefits of overseas talent.”

Shadow attorney general Dominic Grieve insisted that a cap on immigration would ensure a supply of both high- and low-skilled workers into the UK.

“If employers are talking about individuals with low skills filling the labour pool at the bottom, the new EU accession states have many people wanting to come to the UK,” he said.

“For individuals with high-level skills who are indispensable, there [would be] work permits aplenty.

“Nursing is a classic quota area. There is a nursing skills shortage that can’t be met from the EU. We are going to make a work quota sufficient to fill those slots from South Africa, the Philippines, or anywhere else.”

 

Avatar
Personnel Today

previous post
Global hotel group’s regional intranet features e-HR
next post
Incapacity benefit reforms need medical support, warns CBI

You may also like

Employees resigning in 2022: Survey shows ‘great resignation’...

24 May 2022

Tube strike on 6 June to see 4,000...

24 May 2022

Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022,...

24 May 2022

The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls

24 May 2022

Top 10 metrics HR leaders are using today...

24 May 2022

Hybrid working trends: ONS data on where people...

23 May 2022

Aspers casino cashier excluded by colleagues wins £75k...

23 May 2022

NHS should upskill admin staff to reduce waiting...

23 May 2022

Pay gap between CEOs and employees set to...

23 May 2022

Plan to enforce minimum service during rail strikes...

23 May 2022
  • The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls PROMOTED | The Great Resignation continues unabated...Read more
  • Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022, and beyond PROMOTED | Cornerstone OnDemand conducted a global study...Read more
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+