Migrant workers – skills matter, not country of origin

24 February 2009

With debate focusing on the subject of migrant workers, Ruth Spellman OBE, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, says that the best protection against job loss for UK workers is their skills and their versatility.

She comments: "These are the 'passports' that will gain access to jobs and keep individuals employed over the longer term. UK workers will always have to compete, both here and overseas, and it is not realistic or economic to seek to protect ourselves against competition."

From April, migrant workers will have to have at least a master's degree - rather than a bachelor's degree - and a previous salary of at least £20,000 to qualify. The Home Office estimates that it will almost halve the numbers coming in from 26,000 to 14,000.

This comes against a backdrop of research, undertaken by the Chartered Management Institute*, showing that 66 per cent of managers believe they benefit from exposure to different societal cultures.

Spellman continues: "The issue is how we make the UK workforce competitive, highly skilled and able to operate on a global scale, so that employers will be able to recruit and promote the best people. It isn't about country of origin, but about helping many businesses that are short of skilled labour . Addressing this is the challenge because those organisations and individuals investing in skills will be well placed to survive and manage their way out of the recession."

NOTES TO EDITORS
* Figures from 'Leading with Political Awareness' (2007).

As the champion of management, the Chartered Management Institute shapes and supports the managers of tomorrow, helping them deliver results in a dynamic world. The Institute helps set and raise standards in management, encouraging development to improve performance. Moreover, with in-depth research and regular policy surveys of its 81,000 individual members and 450 corporate members, the Institute has a deep understanding of the key issues. The Chartered Management Institute came into being on 1 April 2002, as a result of the Institute of Management being granted a Royal Charter.

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