Week 6: Who to Hire?

There is an interesting trend occurring in the English job market as firms are more often hiring workers who are NOT British.  This week, Iain Duncan, the Secretary of Work and Pensions, announced that measures were being taken to help promote businesses to hire European Union workers over non-European Union workers.  There have recently been cuts in Government spending, which is leaving the majority of open jobs to be filled in the private sector of England’s economy.

The private sector’s main argument against government regulation of their hiring practices is that the EU workers available for employment are not as qualified or hard working as some non-EU workers.  Firms’ general opinions are that migrants have a better work ethic as well as better training for the available jobs.

The government, however, argues that by not filling British jobs with British workers does not allow them to develop critical skills necessary for future economic growth.  The Secretary of Work and Pensions also points out that while not all EU workers are qualified to fill all positions, many positions are entry level and should be filled by British citizens.

As of recently, the government has placed a cap on the number of non-EU workers that private businesses are allowed to hire.  It is the government’s hope that the number of jobs filled will be met by British workers first, but also maintaining the liberty of private business decisions.  It should be noted that England does have laws to prevent discrimination of laborers based on their nationality, so there is a fine line to balance.

Word Count: 262

References:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13984512