A number of construction positions have been added to UK’s “shortage occupation list,” making it simpler for firms in the building industry to hire foreign workers to fill open vacancies.
The revisions will assist tradespeople including bricklayers, masons, roofers, roof tilers, slaters, carpenters, joiners, and plasterers by lowering visa costs and relaxing employment requirements.
Why UK is Easing Visa Policy For Construction Workers?
Because of the severe labor shortages in various industries in UK, firms are eager to hire people from outside.
But doing so gives England’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s ruling Conservative Party, which has been vowing to reduce net migration for the past ten years, a political dilemma.
The creation of the new positions, according to a statement from the UK interior ministry, will “assist in the delivery of critical national infrastructure and stimulate growth for related industries.”
Construction jobs should be included on the shortage occupation list, according to a recommendation made in March by the impartial Migration Advisory Committee.
Along with healthcare roles, the list already includes care workers, civil engineers, and laboratory technicians.
Data released in May revealed that net migration to Britain hit a record high of 606,000 last year, prompting Rishi Sunak to make further commitments to cut back on immigration.
Critics of Brexit claim that because EU citizens may no longer enter the country without a visa in order to work in Britain, the UK’s exit from the EU has made the labor shortage problem worse.
According to a government statement, those working in a shortage occupation might be compensated at 80% of the going wage and yet be eligible for a visa. Candidates must also meet an English language requirement and have a work offer from a company.
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