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Construction faces migrant curb Construction faces migrant curbs
(about 3 hours later)
The right of quantity surveyors and construction managers from outside the EU to move to the UK to work looks set to end, MPs have been told. Some construction jobs look set to be taken off the the list of jobs which people from outside the EU can move to the UK to take, MPs have been told.
Professor David Metcalfe, head of the Migration Advisory Committee, said an announcement was due later in March. Professor David Metcalfe said the Migration Advisory Committee was taking a "close look" at quantity surveyors and construction managers.
Prof Metcalfe's committee decides the occupations where there is deemed to be a "shortage" of workers and where firms can recruit staff from outside the EU. The recession had caused a "profound" change in the labour market, he said.
He said the recession had changed the position in the construction sector. He said they were also reviewing the high number of non-EU people moving within companies to IT jobs in the UK.
He told the home affairs committee that he did not want to say more ahead of the advisory council's review of the shortage list, due to be published later in March. Professor Metcalfe told the home affairs committee that he did not want to say more ahead of the advisory council's review of the shortage list, due to be published later in March.
However, when pressed, he said it was looking in particular at whether quantity surveyors and construction managers should remain as jobs where there was deemed to be a shortage of available workers in the UK. 'Very close look'
British training Some of the review covered jobs the government had asked them to consider, like care workers, he said.
"Some of it is occupations which we have taken it upon ourselves to analyse - these are particularly construction related - because we think the labour market has changed profoundly, very quickly."
"I'm not going to anticipate what we're going to conclude at the end of March but we are having a very close look - I choose my words carefully - at the construction-related occupations, particularly quantity surveyors and construction managers which were previously on the list, in the light of up-to-date information on unemployment."
The people coming in to do IT jobs are disproportionately coming in through the intra company transfer route Professor Metcalfe
It is understood that the number of vacancies for both professions fell dramatically from January 2008 to January 2009 - while the number of unemployed for both rose 500% over the same period.It is understood that the number of vacancies for both professions fell dramatically from January 2008 to January 2009 - while the number of unemployed for both rose 500% over the same period.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics), which had asked for both professions to be on the shortage list last year, said it agreed with the decision to remove them now, given the slump felt by the industry since last September. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics), which had asked for both professions to be on the shortage list last year, said it agreed with a decision to remove them now, given the slump felt by the industry since last September.
Damian Cleghorn, senior policy officer at Rics, said they supported the measure "in the short term" but hoped the construction industry would pick up enough over the next year for them to have to rejoin the shortage occupation list.Damian Cleghorn, senior policy officer at Rics, said they supported the measure "in the short term" but hoped the construction industry would pick up enough over the next year for them to have to rejoin the shortage occupation list.
Prof Metcalfe was asked if there was any category of job which had come off the shortage list as a result of British workers being trained to fill them. Population projections
Professor Metcalfe said not all job shortages were "of a cyclical nature" - so even in a downturn many occupations, like some medical posts which required a lot of training, would not necessarily come off the shortage list.
MPs heard that fulfilling the criteria of the occupation shortage list was one of three ways non-EU workers could enter the country.
The others were either fulfilling the resident labour market test - in which jobs are advertised for two weeks inside the EU first - or through a company that operates in different companies transferring its staff from jobs in one country to its UK operations.
The government has said it would ask the committee whether "tier two workers" - skilled people with a job offer - should be restricted to shortage occupations only.
Professor Metcalfe said he would report back to the government on the issue by July.
"The people coming in to do IT jobs are disproportionately coming in through the intra company transfer route and we will be having a proper look at that in our review," he said.
"If there were real elements of, for example displacement or undercutting, we will report on this."
Chef training
Professor Metcalfe was asked several times what he thought was the maximum number the UK's population should rise to.
Conservative MP James Clappison said the name Migration Advisory Committee was "a bit of a misnomer" as its remit was much narrower - to advise on labour market shortages.
Professor Metcalfe said they were asked to look at other issues like rules on Romanian and Bulgarian workers and reviews of rules on dependants which went beyond labour shortages.
He was asked if there was any category of job which had come off the shortage list as a result of British workers being trained to fill them.
He could not think of any, but said a lot of effort was going into training up chefs for parts of the catering industry such as Indian restaurants.He could not think of any, but said a lot of effort was going into training up chefs for parts of the catering industry such as Indian restaurants.
Prof Metcalfe's comments come after protests at refineries over a plant using Italian workers - and the political row over Gordon Brown's pledge of "British jobs for British workers".Prof Metcalfe's comments come after protests at refineries over a plant using Italian workers - and the political row over Gordon Brown's pledge of "British jobs for British workers".
There are no restrictions on workers from the EU taking jobs in the UK. The Migration Advisory Council deals with managing the occupation list for people from outside of the EU and Iceland, Liechenstein and Norway, wanting to work in the UK. There are no restrictions on workers from the EU taking jobs in the UK. The Migration Advisory Committee deals with managing the occupation list for people from outside of the EU and Iceland, Liechenstein and Norway, wanting to work in the UK.