Skilled migrants have boosted the UK economy by helping to fill specialist roles, a study has found.
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research found that on average, migrants are more highly skilled than British workers.
By looking at outcomes from focus groups, interviews with employers and statistics, the researchers found that the average migrant worker is better educated and tends to work longer hours than British workers.
Heather Rolfe, co-author of the report, said: “We hear a lot about public opinion and concern about migration, but our findings suggest that the need for skilled migration is more widely accepted than is often believed.”
Last week Management in Practice reported that local and national skills shortages have been cited as the biggest hardship in recruiting for the NHS.
NHS Employers’ annual survey found that 60% of HR directors believe local or national skill shortages are making it harder to recruit qualified nurses.
And 29% of all the hard to fill vacancies in the UK are for nursing positions.
To fill the vacancies, employers have focused on recruitment campaigns and international recruitments, and to a lesser extent temporary staff.
