| CHANGES
TO WORK PERMITS FOR THE IT SECTOR |
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A change to the work permit arrangements for overseas IT
workers was announced by Work Permits UK.
This change means that, from Monday 2nd of September 2002,
UK companies will be required to advertise
all IT posts at home before being allowed to seek suitable
people from abroad.
Previously certain IT jobs were listed as "shortage occupations"
by Work Permits (UK) - where there was considered to be an acute
shortage of available resident workers for IT roles. Employers
seeking to fill certain IT jobs on the list had not been required
to advertise in the UK before recruiting abroad - as will
now be necessary in the usual Work Permit process.
The shortage
occupation list currently highlights specific skills and
occupation shortages in industries such as the engineering and
health sectors as well as the IT industry. It is subject
to revision at regular intervals in response to changes
in the UK labour market.
Recent consultation with industry representatives, as part of
a regular review, established that there is not a current shortage
of specific IT skills in the domestic workforce. Based on their
recommendations, Work Permits (UK) has decided that is not necessary
to designate any jobs in the IT industry as shortage occupations
at this time.
Home Office Minister, Bob Ainsworth said:
"The work permit scheme must strike the right balance between
safeguarding the interests of the resident work force whilst
allowing employers to recruit skilled people from abroad to
fill vacancies where there are temporary skills shortages. This
is vital in order for the UK to compete effectively in an international
market.
"Work Permits (UK) consults with representatives of all
industries - in this case the IT industry - on a regular basis
and makes sure that the industry demands can be met and the
Government can respond to any changes in the labour market.
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