CIPD response to ONS migration statistics
Commenting on the latest ONS labour market statistics, Gerwyn Davies, labour market adviser at the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, said:
“Today’s migration figures show that the supply of EU nationals to the UK labour market in the run-up to the referendum grew ever stronger. However, the feedback from CIPD members suggests that the currency depreciation, among other factors, is already undermining the attractiveness of the UK to live and work.
“There is a strong likelihood that the recruitment and retention challenges of employers will be exacerbated further when EU migration restrictions are introduced, which will affect low-skilled employers especially. Employers therefore need to urgently explore all recruitment channels and look at under-utilised groups of the labour market, starting with young people and students, to offset the risk of looming labour shortages.
“Employers in many industries have arguably benefited from the ready supply of EU migrant labour and become too blinkered in their recruitment strategies and now is the time to act and increase investment in skills at the same time.”
