95% of new workers are foreigners

[StuartO]

This newpaper headline was pretty startling to me.  Unemployment is down but almost all the new jobs have gone to foreigners, so British workers are not being hired - why?

 

Clearly employers are prefering foreigners, so is this because the available British job-seekers are just not up to scratch?

 

[Tracker]

Perhaps Britsh non workers are being paid too much in benefits not to work?

[StuartO]

Especially if the work on offer is insecure and not well paid - zero hours contracts, minimum wage, have to hire your own van etc.

[Tracker]

StuartO - 2016-11-18 12:48 PM

 

Especially if the work on offer is insecure and not well paid - zero hours contracts, minimum wage, have to hire your own van etc.

 

On that we agree.

 

But these dispersals of employer responsibilities may have more to do with employment protection rules that seem to favour the employee more than the the guy who pays the bill - the employer - and there must be a better way to protect both job security for the employee and the budget and needs of the employer.

 

Or maybe it is just a sympton of greedy companies and clever lawyers pushing the rules to the limit in order to make yet more tax free money to be hidden away offshore?

[malc d]

As I understand it, from various government declarations over the last couple of years, all the foreigners coming in are either doctors or nurses who are keeping the health service going.

 

 

;-)

[Barryd999]

Another misleading headline. The figure includes foreign born UK Citizens (nationals) as well as none UK Citizens. So the true figure of foreigners that have taken up new jobs in the UK is actually 53%. Another example of dramatic headlines twisting the truth for maximum impact.

 

There has also been a surge of eastern Europeans coming to work in Britain thanks to the Brexit vote as they fear the door may be closed to them in the near future.

 

Its not a true figure either as it doesnt show the net number of jobs as many have also left employment also.

 

It still begs the question as to why so many foreigners are taking these jobs over British workers. Some of the reasons cited above perhaps. I wonder how we are going to persuade Brits to do them if EU workers are no longer admitted.

[StuartO]

Barryd999 - 2016-11-18 1:09 PM.....  It still begs the question as to why so many foreigners are taking these jobs over British workers. Some of the reasons cited above perhaps. I wonder how we are going to persuade Brits to do them if EU workers are no longer admitted.

 

I get the impression that our Government aren't going to stop immigration altogether, so for example people who have skills we need will still be allowed in.

 

However, as you say, there is still an important underlying question of why unemployed Brits are not getting these jobs.

 

[Violet1956]

There's a different analysis of what the figures mean in the Grauniad

 

https://www.theguardian.com/news/reality-check/2016/nov/17/reality-check-new-workers-foreigners-times

 

Veronica

[Guest pelmetman]

Meanwhile 1.6 million Brits are still unemployed *-) ........

 

I would like to see all those employers who don't bother even advertising their jobs in the UK, pay a 10k non Brit tax on every foreigner they employ >:-) ......

 

 

 

 

[Violet1956]

pelmetman - 2016-11-18 1:58 PM

 

Meanwhile 1.6 million Brits are still unemployed *-) ........

 

I would like to see all those employers who don't bother even advertising their jobs in the UK, pay a 10k non Brit tax on every foreigner they employ >:-) ......

 

 

 

 

It is still about have the number of the unemployed in 1983 Dave. The government and industries in the UK need to invest more in the training and development skills of the current population rather than taking the easy option recruiting from abroad given the current unsustainable rates of net migration. If we identify the skills shortages that we have then government and businesses should working together so as to make business less dependent on foreigners. I think a carrot more than a stick might be more successful in achieving this. Your proposal may make UK business less profitable and that is the last thing we need.

[Bulletguy]

The newspaper headline sounds like typical Daily Mail hyperbole on their favourite subject.

 

We have laws here covering discrimination on race and ethnicity so it's nothing to do with "preferring foreigners". Does the article mention how many British applied and what the success rate was? I wouldn't be at all surprised if few British bothered applying.

[thebishbus]

I seem to remember, that the shortage of skilled British engineering workers started years ago, when the unions insisted that trainee/ apprentices were paid a higher percentage of skilled workers wages. This discouraged firms from training there own people. So therefore they poached others or brought in skilled workers from abroad.

Brian B.

[Violet1956]

Violet1956 - 2016-11-18 2:17 PM

 

pelmetman - 2016-11-18 1:58 PM

 

Meanwhile 1.6 million Brits are still unemployed *-) ........

 

I would like to see all those employers who don't bother even advertising their jobs in the UK, pay a 10k non Brit tax on every foreigner they employ >:-) ......

 

 

 

 

It is still about have* the number of the unemployed in 1983 Dave. The government and industries in the UK need to invest more in the training and development skills of the current population rather than taking the easy option recruiting from abroad given the current unsustainable rates of net migration. If we identify the skills shortages that we have then government and businesses should working together so as to make business less dependent on foreigners. I think a carrot more than a stick might be more successful in achieving this. Your proposal may make UK business less profitable and that is the last thing we need.

 

 

 

*half....oops it's Friday and it's been a hard week.

[Violet1956]

thebishbus - 2016-11-18 3:12 PM

 

I seem to remember, that the shortage of skilled British engineering workers started years ago, when the unions insisted that trainee/ apprentices were paid a higher percentage of skilled workers wages. This discouraged firms from training there own people. So therefore they poached others or brought in skilled workers from abroad.

Brian B.

 

That's interesting Brian. Is this an indication that the reduction in power of trade unions to protect their members from exploitation has rendered British workers at a significant disadvantage? Were their demands in respect of the pay for trainees and apprentices unreasonable in your view?

 

Veronica

[Bulletguy]

thebishbus - 2016-11-18 3:12 PM

 

I seem to remember, that the shortage of skilled British engineering workers started years ago, when the unions insisted that trainee/ apprentices were paid a higher percentage of skilled workers wages. This discouraged firms from training there own people. So therefore they poached others or brought in skilled workers from abroad.

Brian B.

 

Brian

 

I can honestly say in the 30 years i worked for a "certain well known Defence company", that never happened there. Every single employee was British born 'n bred and many of us used to wonder why. Even though it's British, it's a huge major international company so the absence of any foreign employee was notable....particularly by comparison to much smaller companies.

 

When i first joined the company it had one of the best Apprentice training centres in the area for engineering but eventually closed down. By then they had more than enough 'young blood' skilled engineers and most stayed.

[Archiesgrandad]

When we think of all the achievements of the unions on behalf of their members, you know, pricing the mines out of business, pricing the steel industry out of business, pricing the dock labour scheme out of existence, reducing the railways to a basket case, etc., I wonder what else they might have achieved if their balloon had not burst. Of course, those trades union leaders that still remain have remuneration packages that are way beyond the wildest dreams of their members, who pay their wages, but for whatever reason they still support them and presumably hope that one day their dreams will come true and we can all live in a socialist utopia like Russia, or North Korea, or China.

AGD

[Guest pelmetman]

The nanny state has a lot to answer for .......I recall when I took on my first employee......the piles of guff that came through my letterbox beggared belief 8-) .........

 

I ended up employing another person part time just to do the paperwork *-) ........and then you discover your also supposed to be a social worker for your staff.....not to mention put up with their family problems :-| ............

 

I ended up wondering who was employing who >:-( ..........