Migration Advisory Committee Report on the impact of EEA migration in the UK

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) – an independent, non-departmental public body sponsored by the Home Office that advises the government on migration issues – this week issued its EEA Migration in the UK: Final Report. Most relevant to the UK construction sector was a recommendation to apply the Tier 2 immigration system to EU workers. The Construction Industry Migration Working Group – on which BWF Members are represented by both the Construction Products Association and BuildUK – issued a joint statement in response to the report:

“It is vital that the UK construction industry maintains access to migrant workers of all skill levels following Brexit. The MAC is right to highlight the positive impact of migrant workers in the UK. Government must work with industry to agree how we can maintain access to these skills, while also growing our investment in home-grown talent. Any future migration system must be affordable and accessible for employers of all sizes. Construction is made up of mostly smaller firms who would struggle to navigate the current system for recruiting migrant workers from outside the EU. The report proposes improvements to this system, but it is difficult to imagine how any version of the Tier 2 regime would work for construction.

“Construction has high levels of self-employment, which is valued by both employers and migrant workers. The government must take account of this well-established way of working in our sector when considering a new system.”

You can access a copy of the report here