Manufacturers face STEM recruitment drought if Government restricts EU workers, says EEF

EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, has warned of ‘a chilling economic effect’ if Britain’s businesses are denied access to skills from across the European Union.

The group has called on the Government to move swiftly to give companies early certainty that they will continue to be able to recruit low-skilled EU nationals until the UK labour market is able to support businesses’ demand with home-grown workers.

EEF published a report, ‘Making migration work for manufacturers: Accessing skills in a post-Brexit world’, which reveals three quarters of manufacturers have struggled to fill engineering roles.

This figure will rise if post-Brexit restrictions on migration apply a cap for companies employing EU staff, along the lines of the current rules currently in force for non-EU employees working in the UK.

Manufacturers interviewed as part of the report said they need unfettered access to ‘appropriate workers’ with the skills industry needs, adding that European employees should be able to come to the UK to work for up to 5 years. The ability to apply for permanent residence should follow on after that time has elapsed.  

For businesses to continue to flourish, international employers stressed the need for their workforce to be mobile, so UK sites can continue to have access to EU workers as part of intra-company transfer programmes. This necessary flexibility in the movement of skills, they feel, is vital for continued business success.

Some 64 per cent of manufacturers said an insufficient number of UK nationals applying for jobs within the sector was their main reason for recruiting from across Europe. Others felt that the skills needed for their businesses to thrive are not found from within the British labour market.

Tim Thomas, EEF Director of Employment and Skills, said: “Preventing industry from being able to recruit the best skilled workers from the EU could stifle growth and damage British industry and the UK economy as a whole.

As a priority the government should clarify the reciprocal rights of EU nationals in the UK and British nationals currently working in other EU member states. At the same time, ministers must map out a new model for immigration to come into force when the UK leaves the EU, including a phased implementation over a sustained period.

“Skills shortages are endemic in manufacturing and engineering, and any points based-type system would choke off the skills needed by this sector. A highly-skilled STEM route should be introduced to enable non-EU STEM professionals to seek work in the UK without a job offer within a reasonable timeframe.”

The report further calls for the immigration skills charge to be abolished and that European nationals coming to study in the UK should continue to be able to do so, with the opportunity to seek permanent employment in the UK after graduating within an agreed time frame.