Great Britain will focus more on training than on immigration
The new British government will prioritize training domestic skilled workers over immigration. The prime minister, Keir Starmer, announced in a speech at the airshow in Farnborough that the newly established Skills England agency will reform the education of young people and link the education system with the economy.
"I'm not criticizing companies that hire foreign workers," Starmer said. "And I'm not denying the significant contribution that migration makes to our economy, to our public services, and of course to our communities." However, it's fundamentally wrong when people can't find their way into the labor market due to errors in the education system.
Immigration has been one of the most politically contentious issues in the UK for years, with the EU withdrawal debate being a major focus. However, immigration numbers in the UK have remained consistently high. In 2022, net migration reached a new record high of 764,000 people, compared to 685,000 in the previous year. Since Brexit, most immigrants have come from non-EU countries.
At the same time, the shortage of skilled workers is a major concern for British businesses. Between 2017 and 2022, the number of additional required skilled workers in the UK has more than doubled to over half a million. More than one third of currently vacant jobs in the country cannot be filled.
The new Skills England agency aims to address both issues, as Premier Starmer explained: "We will identify and compare current and future skills gaps to the needs of the labor market. We will develop plans to address these gaps and thus reduce our reliance on foreign skilled workers."
"Despite the high net migration numbers in Great Britain, reaching a record 764,000 in 2022, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, emphasizes the need to prioritize training domestic skilled workers to alleviate the current labor shortage, particularly in non-EU immigration."
"Given the significant labor shortage in Great Britain, with over half a million additional required skilled workers since 2017, the newly established Skills England agency will not only focus on reforming the education of young people but also work on closing the skills gaps through training, reducing the country's reliance on immigration for these skilled positions."
