UK businesses to influence government to ease visa regulations

Business houses in Britain will try to prevail over their government to let capable foreign entrepreneurs and talented tech workers enter their country without restrictions post-Brexit. Proposals mooted by London First, a business group whose mission is to make London a very business-friendly city, agreed that employers must put in more effort to assist train local workers to plug skills shortages.

The group, is, however, asking for lengthy ‘transition phase’ of up to six years after the UK exits the EU to allow an adequate number of foreign workers to be employed in sectors with skills gaps, including engineering.

Immigration manifesto of London First has been presented ahead of the British government’s immigration bill, which has promised to lay out the new visa regime for EU migrants after Brexit.

These proposals show an increasing apprehension among CEOs about the scarcity of workers in the UK after it leaves the EU. EU nationals comprise 12 percent of the total workforce of London and 15 percent of workers in financial services.

Mark Reynolds, construction company Mace’s chief executive, was quoted by The Financial Times as saying that he was ‘very aware’ that employers must invest more to improve skills of the locals. He said that because 20 percent of British construction workers would be retiring over the next five years and as the industry depended on a large number of EU workers, his company would find it tough to hire enough workers to meet his company’s needs in the future.