Commenting, Mr Alp Mehmet, Vice Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said:
Today’s release confirms that some sectors of the economy employ large numbers of EU migrants, with EU14 nationals, generally, in the higher skilled jobs and the EU10 at the the lower end. Previous analysis suggests that EU migrants are a relatively settled population, especially those who have arrived since the recession.
Business must now focus on recruiting and training from the domestic workforce and wean itself off the cheaper East European option. Employers should turn to overseas workers only when they face genuine skills or labour shortages. Work permits confined to those offered skilled work on the same basis that applies to non-EU nationals could achieve a reduction of around 100,000 a year; this would go a long way towards delivering on the government’s promise to reduce overall net migration.
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