Committee says more UK visas needed for paediatricians, technicians and butchers
October 21 2009 by Liam Clifford
New skills list is needed for UK visas claims committee
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has told the
government that there remain severe skills shortages in certain professions in
the UK and that UK visa legislation should be changed.
The MAC said that the UK needs to attract skilled people from
abroad to work in the UK in several specialist fields. Butchers are needed,
along with aircraft technicians and doctors training to be
paediatricians.
The committee also said special needs teachers, experts
in electrical transmission and some specialist medical professionals should be
added to the ‘in demand’ list of professions.
The shortage list for UK visas already
includes nurses, doctors and musicians, all of whom are needed despite the
recession. “It is important to note that some shortages of skilled labour will
still exist in a recession,” said the chairman of the MAC, David Metcalf. He
continued, “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.”
Some jobs
should be removed from the UK visas ‘in demand’ list in response to “changing economic
circumstance”, according to the MAC. These include various roles in the
construction and engineering industries, as well as ship and hovercraft
officers.
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