British workers not losing out to foreign labour

A new poll has revealed that British workers have not been overlooked for certain jobs in the UK at the expense of overseas workers.

According to research undertaken by the British Chambers of Commerce, while almost half of firms faced skill or labour shortages in the past 12 months, less than 10 per cent said they targeted overseas workers to fill the gap.

Instead companies have increasingly been investing more in the recruitment and training of British workers.

The Chambers of Commerce say that the findings “challenge the myth that UK firms are ignoring local workers in favour of overseas labour.”

The survey revealed that fewer than half (40 per cent) of UK businesses have employees from other EU countries, while 23 per cent have workers from outside the bloc.

Yet employers are worried that restrictions placed on EU workers once the UK leaves the Union could be bad for their business. Almost 40 per cent say future restrictions on EU workers would have a negative impact on their business.

Just one-in-five UK companies said a restriction on access to EU labour once Brexit takes place would prompt them to focus recruitment on local employees only.

Article published 14th September 2017