Under the Conservative government’s post-Brexit immigration plans, low-skilled workers may not be eligible for visas.
Lex Butler, chair of the Hotel Booking Agents Association (HBAA) voiced her fears that these measures will put at risk the UK’s position as a premier destination for business tourism.
“The industry is working hard to recruit more UK-based talent to build careers in this industry but we shall not be able to replace all the migrant workers by the time the regulations come into place,” Butler said.
“The ‘economically inactive’ suggested by the home secretary are not the solution. We are already making every effort to encourage them to take up the many exciting career opportunities in our industry but the UK unemployed aren’t interested in lower paid ‘service’ jobs. I don’t think upping the number of seasonal workers allowed in is any help to our industry except perhaps when it comes to caterers for the summer sporting events.
“Once again being relatively low paid is immediately equated with low-skilled even though in this industry many staff with high levels of responsibility and skill fall below this financial threshold.”
The "points-based" immigration system was one of the pledges in the Conservative election manifesto. This means that overseas citizens would have to reach 70 points to be able to work in the UK.
Speaking English and having the offer of a skilled job with an "approved sponsor" would give them 50 points.
Waiting tables – an important job in the hospitality sector - would be removed from the new skilled category.
The hospitality industry may face high turnover of low-skilled workers from the EU as they may not qualify for a Tier 2 (General) visa at the end of their short-term visas due to the skill level required and the salary required. This could result in increased cost for employers who would need to rehire and retrain EU workers when time runs out on their short-term visas.
Chief executive of trade association UKHospitality Kate Nicholls said the new rules would be “disastrous” for the hospitality industry, which largely relies on EU immigration.
A 2017 KPMG report, commissioned by the British Hospitality Association, found between 12 and 24 per cent of the UK’s hospitality sector workforce were EU nationals.
Speaking at a European tourism association (ETOA) event, Louisa Cole of K&L Gates, who advises on UK immigration law, said the tourism industry may struggle to recruit enough staff post-Brexit under what she described as a “harsher” immigration system. Currently, the low-skilled category includes travel agents, tour guides, bus conductors, holiday reps and reservations staff.
Set to come into force in 2021, the proposed immigration plans feature a minimum-salary requirement of around £20,000 a year. Seasonal staff and those on a zero hours contract might fail to meet this minimum wage.
According to a UKInbound report, A Perfect Storm? How Ending Free Movement Will Impact UK tourism, 77 per cent of tourism businesses have found recruitment more difficult since the EU referendum.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokeswoman Christine Jardine said the proposals were based on "xenophobia", while Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon condemned the plans as "devastating" for the Scottish economy.
