[from the Financial Times] City backs immigration plan By Brian Groom, Political Editor Published: September 11 2000 19:06GMT | Last Updated: September 12 2000 00:27GMT The City of London reacted with delight, and business organisations with cautious approval, on Monday as the government raised the prospect of relaxing immigration controls to attract skilled workers. Barbara Roche, Home Office minister, called for debate about the benefits of "managed migration" to fill the skills gap and put Britain ahead in the scramble for entrepreneurs, scientists and high-technology specialists. Emphasising the contribution past waves of immigrants had made to the economy, she said migration was becoming a central feature of the global economy and immigration policy "cannot be static". Migration could help Britain cope with an ageing workforce and address skill shortages in sectors from information technology to healthcare, she said. The government was interested in enhancing the "flexible and market-driven aspects" of the current work permit system, recently speeded up to attract immigrants with specialist training. "One approach would be to make the system even more market-based by making a work permit contingent primarily on a job offer at a sufficiently high level, rather than seeking to identify employment sectors with shortages," she told the Institute for Public Policy Research. Judith Mayhew, chairman of the Corporation of London's policy committee, said: "We are suffering skill shortages in various areas and we welcome anything she can do." The Confederation of British Industry, British Chambers of Commerce, Institute of Directors and Federation of Small Businesses welcomed the debate as long as it did not distract from the need to improve UK workers' skills. _______________________________________________ Crashlist resources: http://website.lineone.net/~resource_base To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/crashlist
