EEF warns of ‘recruitment crunch’ if a hard line on immigration is taken

The manufacturers’ organisation, EEF, has warned of a potential recruitment crunch if Britain’s businesses are denied access to skills from across the European Union, which is highlighted in its report ‘Making migration work for manufacturers: Accessing skills in a post-Brexit world’ published today.

Calling on the government, the EEF states it is imperative that companies are given early certainty that they will be able to continue to recruit low-skilled EU nationals until the UK labour market is sufficient enough in numbers to support workforce demands.

Within the report it was revealed that three-quarters of manufacturers in Britain have struggled to fill engineering roles, which the EEF reports is likely to increase if there are restrictions imposed on migration post-Brexit.

“Preventing industry from being able to recruit the best skilled workers from the EU could stifle growth and damage British industry and the UK economy as a whole,” explained Tim Thomas, EEF director of employment and skills. “As a priority the government should clarify the reciprocal rights of EU nationals in the UK and British nationals currently working in other EU member states. At the same time, ministers must map out a new model for immigration to come into force when the UK leaves the EU, including a phased implementation over a sustained period.”

The report highlighted that manufacturers need unfettered access to ‘appropriate workers’ with the skills industry requires. Additionally, those interviewed specified that European employees should be able to come and work in the UK for up to five years and after this time has lapsed should be able to apply for permanent residence.

Moreover, mobility was outlined as important in the report, with those interviewed stating that flexibility in movement of skills, such as intra-company transfer programmes between UK and European based sites, is imperative for continued business success.

Over three fifths of those interviewed for the report specified they needed to recruit from Europe as a result of an insufficient number of UK nationals applying for jobs within the sector. Others felt that the skills needed for their businesses to thrive were lacking from the British labour market.

“Skills shortages are endemic in manufacturing and engineering, and any points based-type system would choke off the skills needed by this sector. A highly-skilled STEM route should be introduced to enable non-EU STEM professionals to seek work in the UK without a job offer within a reasonable timeframe,” Thomas concluded.