A Cabinet minister has warned that Britain is “too reliant” on migrant labour, unveiling a £1 billion training initiative aimed at increasing domestic employment. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden stated that the UK must focus on developing homegrown talent to address workforce shortages, reports BritPanorama.
The announcement comes amid rising concerns about nearly one million young people who are out of education or employment and a ballooning benefits bill. McFadden emphasized, “Our country’s future depends on the skills of its people.”
He added, “But we have become too reliant on overseas labour to fill shortages. We’re making sure it’s homegrown talent that benefits from homegrown opportunity, turbocharging our economy and putting more money in people’s pockets.”
Since Labour took power, statistics reveal that 46,000 more jobs have gone to Indians, 26,000 to Nigerians, and 21,000 to Pakistanis, while the number of jobs held by British nationals has decreased by 353,000, according to reports. The £1 billion funding will specifically train engineers, construction workers, and cyber experts, with an expected 600,000 new skilled jobs by 2030.
McFadden is set to send directives to Skills England, an organization established to bridge the skills gap, instructing them to diminish Britain’s dependence on foreign workers. This initiative is a precursor to a comprehensive skills funding White Paper scheduled for release tomorrow.
In addition, ministers plan to announce further training opportunities for hundreds of thousands of new roles within the clean energy sector. This policy shift comes as the Resolution Foundation reveals a troubling trend: more young Britons are exiting education early without securing jobs.
The Foundation’s research indicates that in specific local authority areas, over one in ten 16 to 17-year-olds are neither engaged in education nor earning, with many remaining unaccounted for by local authorities. Julia Diniz, a research specialist at the Resolution Foundation, stated, “We need to help more young people stay in education or return if they drop out. Failing to do so risks stunting their long-term job prospects.”
