Osborne Chief Executive calls for Immigration Discussion amid Skills Shortage
Osborne Chief Executive David Fison spoke exclusively to Construction News, calling upon the construction industry to speak out against curbing immigration in the run-up to the general election.
As concern over the skills shortage in the UK grows, Mr Fison explained it would be necessary to “top-up” the existing workforce with skilled European labour.
Speaking to Construction News, he said the industry must inform politicians that migrant labour from the EU was essential “to keep the construction economy moving”.
He added: “You lose the labour supply by changing immigration [policy] and putting up boundaries at the borders, and I think it’s our job to communicate with the government about what the impact of that will be.”
Immigration from the EU is shaping up to be a key battleground ahead of the May election, with senior figures in both the Conservative Party and UKIP pushing for restrictions on migrant labour in the UK.