UK employers worried about post-Brexit migration rules - govt advisors
UK employers are concerned about the prospects of future restrictions on European migration after Brexit, according to a report from government advisors.
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) said these worries were "especially pronounced in low-skilled sectors where the impact of restrictions could be greatest".
The MAC's findings also rejected suggestions that the majority of employers deliberately seek to fill vacancies with migrant workers.
"They employ European Economic Area (EEA) migrants when they are the best or, sometimes, the only available candidate. EEA migrants from countries that were part of the EEA before 2004 have been, and remain, relatively high-skilled," the report said.
“Some employers, mostly in lower-skilled sectors, felt they had an image problem among the UK-born with jobs in their sector being viewed as an unattractive career. Employers denied that low wages were part of the image problem but when, for example, 95% of jobs in hospitality pay below average hourly earnings, we were not always convinced by this argument.”
The MAC said employers hired migrants from EU states because they were prepared to do jobs that local workers wouldn't, and often because they were the only candidate, contrary to the view that they would accept lower pay and conditions.
"Many employers expressed the view that EEA migrants are more motivated and flexible than UK-born workers - this included a greater willingness to work longer and unsociable hours, to welcome overtime, and a consistently strong work ethic," the MAC said.
However, the MAC said "it is hard to assess objectively many of these claims".
"One aspect of reliability are absenteeism rates and our analysis suggests that, on average, EEA migrant workers report lower absenteeism rates than UK-born workers, even when accounting for differences in age, industry and occupation."
The report also found that curbing immigration would lead to lower growth in total jobs and economic output. The MAC cited the Office for National Statistics projecting that zero net EU migration post-Brexit could mean the population in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland "could stop growing and even fall in the next 20 years".