Immigration

[emmie]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51550421

will it work in effect..

[pixie374]

OG, agencies aren't the answer either. They take advantage more than anyone. It was when I saw a price list in a client file, that I realised the agency were taking over 70% of what we earned, while still controlling what we could do. That was when I said to my sister, we can do this better ourselves.

[albaqwerty]

About time a system was in place to prevent alleged skilled workers from turning up in the UK with a poor grasp of English and under-cutting the skilled British worker.

[andy-hughes]

On first view - and that is what the majority of knee-jerk reactions are based on, it looks wonderful.

We stop hoards of unskilled immigrants coming in and signing on to our benefits and NHS, and there are mountains more jobs for our indigenous unemployed.

The two major flaws in the argument are -

Increased immigration has not actually increased the jobless total in the UK, according to an economist on Radio 4, and of course, to use British labour will drive up the costs of everything, which the public wont like.

You can have reduced immigration - but you have to pay for it.

[jno]

no more low-paid workers. So what if the price of everything goes up?

[jno]

I've got to be up early to beat andy hughes...

[Haggisdj]

@albaqwerty There is evidence, that I cannot currently find, that shows that the majority of EU workers come here for the same wages as UK workers and it is the UK employers who offer/pay them less because they are foreign...

[Old_Geezer]

If higher costs are the result of treating workers fairly then we all should be all for it. It can only be higher cost because underpaying has been prevented. Immigration may or may not have increased the UK citizen jobless total, but if it hasn't then clearly it must prevent that total reducing as far as it might.

Of course agencies try for high profit. If they go too far then you or someone else can see a market gap for a more reasonable agency. Anyway it's not from what the employee earns, they earn whatever they've agree to. It's cost to the company on top, the cost of having a workforce that they aren't having to cover employee responsibilities for.

[Old_Geezer]

Well said hereIam. Spot on. Not sure why you added the question marks though.

[ichkeria]

Looking at these proposals more closely: everyone is concentrating on the “low skills” element and the “potential for recruitment and training”
But at the other end, the minimum salary for “skilled” migrants is being lowered. And there is no cap.
So numbers could rise: quite a lot could they not?

[dannyk13]

ich, As I understand it meeting all the qualifications does not guarantee entry.

[CrapAtCryptics]

We might save money by not importing foreign criminals willy nilly, I believe the current ethnic rate in prisons is 40% - 83626 is the latest prison population so 30,000 plus. Doing so would make our streets safer.

[Old_Geezer]

Whilst possible it's unlikely the numbers of possible skilled folk wanting in will approach the number of lower skilled ones. But I'm sure the situation will be monitored and, if necessary, tweaked.

[douglas9401]

All very well, CrapAtCryptics, but Albanian gangsters have the best car washes.

[ichkeria]

Furthermore if you are British and educated to A Level, it seems to me that you are suddenly competing with foreign job applicants, where previously the “skill level” was set at “degree”. Furthermore many jobs will now be open to overseas applicants, with now no obligation on companies to advertise them at home - at all.
One solution might be to get on ones bike and take advantage of the single market....
Oops, silly me :-)

[Old_Geezer]

Indeed.

If foreign degrees are the level of some of those UK ones studied for today, yesteryear's A level should be an easy match. Although, experience in the field and reputation should count for more than potential indicating exam results.

[Spicerack]

No more low-paid workers. So what if the price of everything goes up.

[teacake44]

Any money made from low paid workers goes into the pocket of a staff agency or the direct employer in my view, the threat of price increases will be kept in check by the retailer / wholesaler.

[ichkeria]

Aside from the rather naive view of economics expressed here, the “price increases” also involve increases to employers of eg care workers who will have to find money from underfunded social cate to meet the new salaries.
Plainly the £25,000 is unrealistic, and the government have said that they’ll reduce the threshold in cases of need. But it sounds like a system trailblazed for political impact, which almost by the government’s own admission will have to change.
The idea that all the people not trained or invested in form the 800,000 so-called NEETS is barking mad anyway.
You do wonder what the skill-level threshold was that permitted Priti Patel to walk into the job of Home Secretary.
Quite low I reckon.

[dannyk13]

Ich //ou do wonder what the skill-level threshold was that permitted Priti Patel to walk into the job of Home Secretary.
Quite low I reckon//
What valid reason have you for making that assumption?

[ichkeria]

Well for a start the idea I referred to