The Mayor of London, , said: “The Government’s
misguided approach to immigration risks doing profound
damage to growth, jobs and communities across London and the UK.
“Immigration has enhanced our economy and communities,
making London the best place in the world to do business and an
unrivalled, vibrant global city.
“So it makes absolutely no sense for the Government to come
forward with a one-size-fits-all policy for the whole country
that simply won’t work for London and flies in the face of what
London businesses and we at City Hall have repeatedly told
Ministers we need.
“Slamming the door shut on thousands of European workers who want
to come here to fill crucial roles, while making it tougher for
businesses and the NHS to access the talent they need,
will damage our competitiveness and ultimately mean less
opportunity for all Londoners.
“If the Government chooses to move forward
with a proposal to restrict tier 2 visas for
skilled workers to jobs paying over £30,000 a year, it would
see businesses struggle to fill thousands of key posts in crucial
sectors, such as construction, social care, health, retail,
hospitality and our world-leading creative industries.
“With Parliament poised to reject the Prime Minister’s Brexit
deal, the likelihood is that this White Paper will need to be
scrapped anyway. The Prime Minister should withdraw Article 50
immediately and allow time for a public vote to be held so the
country can decide what course it wants to take.”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
At present, almost half of all the jobs in the capital across the
board pay less than £30,000. This includes many important roles
in businesses such as construction, restaurants, and hotels – and
in many cases those roles are currently filled by non-UK EU
workers.
For example, approximately 46,000 jobs, estimated to be 12 per
cent of London’s entire construction sector workforce are held by
workers born in the rest of the European Economic Area (EEA)
earning less than £30,000 per year.
The accommodation and food sector could suffer even worse from a
Government immigration clampdown. It is estimated that Around
61,000 jobs, a quarter of the workforce in that sector, may be
filled by EEA born workers earning less than £30,000.
