UK businesses should recruit more unemployed Britons rather then relying on labour from abroad, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith stated today at a keynote speech at the Foundation for Social Studies and Analysis in Madrid. He added that if government policy has prepared young people for work, ‘we need businesses to give them a chance.’
The speech has resulted in a strong response from all sectors of industry however, with the British Chamber of Commerce saying that young British workers tended to lack the right skills and attitude, and lawyers saying that firms could face claims of discrimination if they favoured British candidates over foreigners legally entitled to work in the UK, the Belfast Telegraph reported.
Speaking specifically of the Construction Industry, a CITB- Construction Skills spokesman said that the sector is unique in that ‘people go where the work is and that has always happened… but an investment in home-grown skills is clearly important.’ The spokesperson added that that CITB Construction Skills ‘ was working closely with partners including the HSE, to provide resources to support migrant workers.’
The HSE currently puts the number of migrant workers in the construction industry at 6% nationally and up to 25% of the workforce in major urban centres such as London, Birmingham and Glasgow.
