Dancers, artists and musicians – Britain needs you

Skilled migrant workers are still vital to economy despite the recession

Are you an out of work orchestral musician, computer animator or professional dancer?

Britain is advertising these job vacancies in a bid to attract skilled migrant workers even in the middle of a biting recession. Government advisers told ministers yesterday that these were three of the skills in greatest demand and urged them to fill the posts with workers from overseas.

The advice follows a partial review of migrants jobs needed to sustain the UK labour force even when unemployment in Britain head towards record levels. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommended giving work permits to more orchestral musicians, visual effects and computer animation experts and professional dancers.

MAC chairman David Metcalf said: "It is important to note that some shortages of skilled labour will still exist in a recession. This can be where there is a long-term structural shortage of skilled workers, where workers provide key public services, or in areas such as culture where the UK needs to maintain global leadership."

But in other sectors the picture was very different and overall the committee said 270,000 fewer posts should be open to non-EU migrants.

As a result the MAC proposed that construction workers and quantity surveyors should be suspended immediately from the committee's list of "shortage occupations".

Prof Metcalf said unemployment of workers in those occupations was up 500 per cent and that the committee's partial review of the list was stepped up because of the economic downturn.

He explained: "We had to respond to the troubled times and the turmoil in the labour market. The main issue that we want to get across is we have responded to the downturn and we have immediately suspended two major occupations."

The new list would leave open 530,000 posts, down from 800,000 now. But only a fraction of these are likely to be taken by immigrants.

Prof Metcalf said not all labour market shortages would be eliminated by the recession, which last month pushed unemployment to 2.1 million.

More work permits can also be issued if it is felt migrant workers provide a "key public service".

The expert committee, which first reported last year, will complete a full review of all the occupations on its list by September. It will look closely at seasonal workers such as chefs and engineers. Maths and science teachers, currently on the list, are also likely to face scrutiny, to see if laid-off City workers are taking those jobs, Prof Metcalf said. Ministers will look at the list and announce their decision by the middle of next month. They are likely to accept most, if not all, of the recommendations.

The MAC report contains two recommended shortage occupation lists, one for the UK and one for Scotland only. These consist of skilled occupations and job titles that the committee has assessed as being both skilled and in shortage and where it has concluded that it is sensible to fill these shortages, at least in the short term, through immigration.