Migration proposals will require a completely new approach to recruitment, retention and automation for many firms 2 October 2018 Commenting on the government’s latest plans for a new post-Brexit migration system, briefed today (Tuesday) by the Prime Minister and Home Secretary, Stephen Clarke, Senior Economic Analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said: “The government’s proposed post-Brexit migration system will mark a major shift in our labour market, and could fundamentally change how many industries operate. “Low-paying sectors with a large share of migrant workers, such as food manufacturing and hotels, are going to need to rethink not only exactly what they produce but their approach to recruitment, retention and, crucially, automation. More broadly, employers should also up their game on training and bringing harder-to-reach groups, like people with a disability or ill-health, into the labour market. “The government will need to phase in the new system to give firms time to adjust. Lots of questions remain too – from potential exemptions to the ban on low-skilled workers in some sectors, to the kind of access EU workers will have as part of the ‘deep and special partnership’ the Prime Minister is seeking to negotiate after Brexit. “But with Labour also backing the recommendations of the Migration Advisory Committee, industry should no longer be in any doubt that major change is coming.”
