Tesco

14 Labour migration, the work permit system

and other schemes

Research questions

* How stable are trends in applications for, and issues of, work permits over time?

* Is the skill spectrum changing?

* Which countries dominate the numbers of permits issued?

* Are there differences between countries in the skills they supply?

* What other schemes exist for bringing in overseas labour?

Main findings

* There have been changes in the work permit system over time, notably a dramatic increase in

the scale and nature of the operation in the 1990s.

* The system now seems more concerned than hitherto with supplying specific skills. Recent

increases have mainly been in a small number of occupations, particularly in IT and health.

* New major suppliers have emerged, especially India and the Philippines, associated with

specific skills in ways that the older sources (e.g. the US and Japan) are not.

* Schemes additional to that of work permit issues are important providers of labour though

precise levels of skill are unknown.

This chapter aims to show how the work permit system responded to the demands of the labour market. It also

includes information on other schemes designed to bring foreign labour migrants into the UK.

14.1 Introduction

Restrictions