Work and Pensions Secretary will today [Tuesday 21 May] set out his vision for
unemployed Brits to fill roles once filled by foreign workers, to
help build the domestic workforce of the
future.
In a landmark speech, the DWP Secretary is expected to announce
how the Government will use welfare reform to reduce immigration
and build an “economic model based on British talent”, which
follows decisive action already taken by the Home Office to
reduce legal migration and ensure businesses are prioritising the
domestic workforce.
A new cross-Government ministerial taskforce has been set up to
develop recruitment initiatives in industries facing staffing
shortages, to boost the incomes of out of work claimants and cut
the benefit bill. The group, chaired by the DWP Secretary has
already met and includes ministers from the Home Office and the
Treasury, as well as a range of other departments such as the
Department for Education and the Department for Business and
Trade.
The plan is to emulate “HGV driver shortage style” initiatives,
which helped to fill vacancies in the sector through solutions
developed with employers including targeted skills ‘bootcamps',
Jobcentre training schemes and cutting red tape holding back
domestic recruitment.
The specialist taskforce will work directly with employers to
unlock domestic labour supply and boost skills among UK
jobseekers, targeting extra help to key sectors including
hospitality, care, construction and
manufacturing.
In his speech Work and Pensions Secretary is expected to
say:
“With the next generation of welfare reforms we are building
a new economic model based on British
talent.
“It's a plan providing more opportunities for people here at
home to get on, to progress, and to increase their
pay.
“As part of that, the new visa rules brought in by the Home
Secretary will mean around 300,000 people who arrived last year
would not be able to under the new rules.
“I know this presents a recruitment challenge for some
employers in certain sectors, particularly those that have relied
more on migration in the
past.
“But this is also a huge opportunity for the thousands of
jobseekers within our domestic workforce to move into roles that
have previously been filled by overseas
workers.
“So my message to businesses is clear: our jobcentre teams
stand ready to help you find the right candidate, and we want to
work with you to overcome recruitment
challenges.
“And my message is also to the British people. For too long
we have relied on labour from abroad when there is great talent
right here in the UK – I am determined to put that
right.”
Today's move builds on the Government's £2.5 billion Back to Work
Plan providing extra help to over a million people to break down
barriers to work, and the nearly 300,000 on-the-job-placements –
known as Sector Based Work Academy Programmes – taking place over
the last three years – giving jobseekers the skills and the
experience they need to get on and get ahead in
work.
It also follows announcements that the Government will fully fund
apprenticeships in small businesses for anyone up to the age of
21, underpinned by £60 million of new government funding for next
year.
ENDS
Notes to
Editors
· To tackle a shortage of HGV
drivers in 2021, the Government delivered 33 targeted actions
including training schemes, regulatory changes, and incentives to
help stabilise vacancies in the sector: UK government action to reduce
the HGV driver shortage - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
