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New migrant worker rules outlined New migrant worker rules outlined
(about 2 hours later)
A list of jobs for which there is deemed to be a shortage of skilled workers in the UK has been released.A list of jobs for which there is deemed to be a shortage of skilled workers in the UK has been released.
The Migration Advisory Committee was asked by ministers to say which type of jobs had shortages and should be open to workers from outside the EU. The Migration Advisory Committee was asked by ministers to say which type of jobs had shortages and should be open to workers from outside Europe.
Its draft list includes skilled nurses and consultants, some engineering jobs, maths and English teachers but not care workers or nuclear energy workers. Its draft list includes skilled nurses and consultants, some engineering jobs, maths and English teachers.
Ministers say they will publish the final list next month. Ministers say they will study the list before publishing the final version next month.
Home Office minister Tony McNulty said the MAC's list "seems broadly right" but he wanted to study it in more detail and test its findings. Home Office Minister Tony McNulty said the MAC's list "seems broadly right" and he expected the government to issue a "remarkably similar" list in five or six weeks' time.
The list will be part of the government's "points-based migration" system aimed at better tailoring non-EU immigration to the needs of business. 'Sensible'
MAC chairman, Professor David Metcalf, said that an employer would have to clear three hurdles to be able to hire somebody from outside Europe. It forms part of a new points-based immigration system designed to cut the number of workers coming to Britain from outside the 30-nation European Economic Area (the European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).
"Firstly the job has got to be skilled, secondly there has got to be a shortage, and thirdly and perhaps most importantly, it has to be sensible to bring a person in - there we are looking at the tension between the short-run fix of bringing immigrants in and the long-run need to upskill the economy," he said. The new rules are expected to come into force at the end of November and will make it harder to employ skilled workers from outside the EEA in trades not on the list.
The changes, which involved looking at 12 different indicators, will result in a more skilled labour supply, he added.
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According to the list, maths and science teachers are still needed, but secondary school teachers in other subjects, allowed in under the current system, will face restrictions. Citizens of other EU states - except Bulgaria and Romania - are already entitled to work in the UK without restrictions.
Unskilled workers from other parts of the world are currently banned but highly qualified migrants or those with substantial sums to invest are allowed to live and work in the UK.
The list released by the MAC refers to "skilled workers" - those with the equivalent of two A Levels or NVQ Level 3. They must also have a good grasp of English, a job offer with potential earnings of £24,000 and enough money to support themselves until their first pay cheque if they want to work in the UK.
Among the occupations on the list are:
  • Consultants and specialist nurses
  • Some engineering jobs, including chemical and civil engineers
  • Quantity surveyors
  • Maths and English teachers
  • Ship and hovercraft officers
  • Veterinary surgeons
  • Sheep shearers
  • Jockeys and horse trainers
Some professions, such as construction, catering and IT, were deemed to have a shortage but the committee decided it would not be "sensible" to include them on the list.
It said it did not want to deter firms from training British workers to fill vacancies.
Other jobs such as chefs and care workers would only be allowed if they paid enough - for example, Indian restaurants would be allowed to recruit chefs from outside the EU, provided they paid them a minimum of £8.10 an hour.
"We are celebrating," said Nur-Ur Rahman Khondaker, secretary general of the Bangladesh Caterers Association.
His organisation says Bangladeshi restaurants and takeaways in Britain already have 30,000 vacancies and had feared ethnic restaurants being permanently barred from hiring staff from their home nations.
Inter-company transfers will be exempt from the restrictions and firms will still be able to recruit for jobs not on the list, if there are no suitable applicants when advertised in the EU.
'Tension'
About 700,000 people currently work in the professions listed - less than the million covered by the existing system, of which about 7% are non-EU workers.
MAC chairman, Professor David Metcalf said an employer would have to clear three hurdles to be able to hire somebody from outside Europe.
"Firstly the job has got to be skilled, secondly there has got to be a shortage, and thirdly and perhaps most importantly, it has to be sensible to bring a person in - there we are looking at the tension between the short-run fix of bringing immigrants in and the long-run need to upskill the economy," he said.
The changes will result in a more skilled labour supply, he added.
'Not set in stone'
According to the list, maths and science teachers are still needed, but secondary school teachers in other subjects will face restrictions.
Midwives, social workers and IT technicians from outside the EU are all no longer needed, according to the list.Midwives, social workers and IT technicians from outside the EU are all no longer needed, according to the list.
Only care workers earning at least £8.80 an hour will be allowed to come to Britain from later this year - a salary level most care-home owners will not be able to pay. Professor Metcalf said the list was not "set in stone" and a new list would be published every two years.
For example, he said he would be talking to the energy sector to decide whether nuclear power workers should be included in future, given the government's plans for new plants.
The list for Scotland includes all of the UK-wide professions, plus fish filleters, senior elderly care workers and speech therapists.
Only care workers earning at least £8.80 an hour will be allowed to come to Britain according to the list - a salary level most care-home owners say they will not be able to pay.
"It is so far above what the medium pay levels are within care homes for senior care workers, it is just not going to be achievable," said Mandy Thorn, a board member of the National Care Association."It is so far above what the medium pay levels are within care homes for senior care workers, it is just not going to be achievable," said Mandy Thorn, a board member of the National Care Association.
class="lp" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/default.stm">HAVE YOUR SAYIf migrants can prove their worth and earn an honest living, there should be no problemJohn, Blackpool class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=5319">Send us your comments 'Monitoring needed'
She said the sector had tried to recruit from the UK and Europe but had not been able to attract sufficient numbers. More staff are needed to support a growing number of vulnerable people, she added. Professor Metcalf said that companies who increased their wages may find their vacancies are filled from within the UK.
Occupations which are allowed to use foreign workers due to shortages include ship and hovercraft officers and racehorse trainers. He also said there was evidence in the past the care sector and catering firms had attempted to abuse the system by claiming workers had more skills than they actually possessed to get work permits.
There is also a shortage of skilled chefs, civil and chemical engineers and veterinary surgeons, while quantity surveyors and project managers are needed for property development and construction. "It is vital the Home Office monitors people and deals with this rigorously," said Professor Metcalf.
Some other occupations in the hospitality and construction industries were considered by the MAC but rejected from the final list.
On Sunday an all-party group of MPs called for "balanced migration" and four-year limits for foreign workers.On Sunday an all-party group of MPs called for "balanced migration" and four-year limits for foreign workers.
The group said Britain will not be able to cope with an estimated seven million additional migrants forecast to arrive by 2031.The group said Britain will not be able to cope with an estimated seven million additional migrants forecast to arrive by 2031.