image source, Getty Images
- author, Sam Francis & Laura Jones
- role, Political reporter/economic reporter
-
Unemployed Brits will be encouraged to take part in 'skills boot camps' to fill the labor market gap left by overseas workers, the Work and Pensions Secretary has announced.
Mel Stride said the UK had relied on foreign workers “for far too long”.
But industry insiders suggested the plans may not be enough for British companies at “breaking point”.
Labor also dismissed the proposal as a “talker” that fails to address the scale of the problem.
The plan is being overseen by a new ministerial taskforce led by Mr Stride and comes ahead of official net migration figures due to be released on Thursday.
These include a significant increase in the salary threshold for skilled workers to £38,700 and reforms that will make it harder for Brits earning below the national average to attract a foreign spouse.
Mr Stride said the new rules, which aim to reduce the number of people entering the UK by 300,000, created a “recruitment challenge” for employers.
He insisted the government was building a new economic model “based on British talent”.
Under the latest plan, benefit recipients will be offered training for roles in key sectors facing labor shortages, including hospitality, care, construction and manufacturing.
The new model is partly based on measures introduced in 2021 to target the chronic HGV driver shortage, including skills 'boot camps' and jobcentre training schemes.
“This is a plan that will provide more opportunities for people here at home to grow, advance and increase their pay,” Stride said.
“We know this is creating recruitment challenges for some employers in certain sectors, particularly those who have relied on immigration in the past.
“For too long we have relied on overseas labour, despite the availability of talented people here in the UK, and I am determined to put that right.”
Stride will also chair a new cross-government task force to develop recruitment efforts for industries with severe labor shortages.
But the Employment and Jobs Confederation questioned the prioritisation of British workers over foreign workers at a time when employers are struggling to fill many vacancies.
Deputy chief executive Kate Shoesmith said: “The bottom line is that many British businesses are reaching breaking point due to labor shortages.”
“It’s not about picking winners or hiring British workers rather than foreigners. It’s about creating the right conditions for long-term, sustainable economic growth.”
Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Alison McGovern accused the Government of “depleting the skills and training system”.
“We are now at record levels of net migration and the Government must come up with a proper plan to address the labour shortage and adopt Labour's plan to link the immigration system to skills,” he said.
Wendy Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrats' work and pensions spokeswoman, said: “In many ways this is a sign that the Conservatives have no plan to tackle the biggest reason people can't work, which is that NHS waiting lists are through the roof. I'm admitting that there isn't,” he said.
“Thousands of people are struggling to access the health care they need and people are unable to return to work.
“The current Conservative government has neglected the NHS, which continues to damage the country's economic recovery. We can only recover the economy if we solve the health crisis.”
