REC Responds to Labour Pledges on Skills

Commenting on Labour party’s pledges on skills and immigration, the Recruitment & Employment Confederation Deputy Chief Executive Kate Shoesmith said:

“Fresh and future-thinking policies are required to overcome labour shortages which are leaving two million job vacancy postings unfilled in the UK. 

“This must include reform of the apprenticeship levy which has become a driver of lower apprenticeship starts and completions for young people. It is devastating to our economy to have 960,000 people – out of the one million temporary workers on assignment every day – excluded from accessing the levy. 

“Scrapping the 20 per cent migrant worker wage discount on the salaries businesses are required to pay for jobs on the shortage lists could help workers better compete internationally. But it is notable that this also scraps the discount to discourage employers from getting cheaper overseas labour.

“We need to upskill and make work more accessible to homegrown talent if we are to overcome labour shortages. But we must keep the UK open to skills from around the world because this is critical to investment in the UK and our economic growth. Political parties need to be careful not to paint the UK as closed for business. Policymakers would be better placed if they collaborated much more closely with industry to determine their skills needs and how best to fulfil demand.”