Migrants stepping into UK skills gap

Companies are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit home-grown talent, with any improvement in the economy unlikely to filter through to the jobs market, research out today suggests.

A poll by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and accountants at KPMG indicates that demand for migrant employees is surging because of a lack of skills among British workers. Almost half of the 600 employers questioned reported that vacancies were hard to fill, with 21 per cent saying they were recruiting migrant workers for engineering vacancies, and 18 per cent for both IT and accountancy and finance positions. Up to one in 10 companies plans to hire people from overseas in the next 12 months.

The findings come as the Government plans to cap migration, with the authors of today's report urging a gradual introduction of the measure.