UK / Skills Gap / Companies complain about hurdles faced by Chinese workers

The EEF, the manufacturing body, said UK employers are leaving job vacancies unfilled for weeks – sometimes months – because they cannot easily get hold of skilled workers from China and other non-EU countries to plug UK gaps.

Companies complain that skills shortages hold back growth, with firms looking abroad to fill gaps in technology, science and engineering. The EEF wants the Government to relax the immigration system for work permits so British firms can recruit the skills they need faster.

At present, companies wishing to hire Chinese nationals with sought-after skills have to go through a series of hoops. These include becoming an official “sponsor” of migrant workers, which involves immigration officials visiting the company and carrying out security checks.

Other hurdles include making sure the vacant job is on the Home Office’s shortage “occupation list”.

Tim Thomas, EEF head of employment, said: “If skilled workers aren’t from the EU, recruiting them into the UK is like pulling teeth. There’s a lot of bureaucracy involved and for employers, it’s extremely difficult to navigate. It puts firms off hiring the skills they desperately need, which means jobs run vacant.”

Choosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor from

via UK’s visa system for Chinese workers like ‘pulling teeth’, says EEF – Telegraph.