16th December, 2008

Last week, Financialadvice.co.uk reported that the UK government is in a desperate race to refloat the UK economy before we see a major collapse in the employment market. Recent announcements by various recruitment agencies have revealed new vacancies are becoming more and more scarce with many companies looking to cut back on their recruitment costs and employment base.

In spite of the shrinking job market, migrants to the UK are unlikely to have difficulties in finding positions in some sectors. Skill shortages still exist and the only way Britain can combat the problem is to recruit from far-off shores. The UK Border Agency’s new Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) underpins the points-based system (PBS) for immigration by advising on which jobs should be designated as 'shortage occupations'. The flexibility of the PBS means it can adapt to meet the needs of the UK economy in the current downturn.

The latest list of shortage occupations was released in November and included various areas of nursing. Nurses.co.uk, a UK-focused nursing jobs board launched in 2008, could help migrants identify opportunities. The site advertises jobs for some of the most dominant healthcare recruiters including Hays, Allied Healthcare, Spire Healthcare, Ambition 24, HCL, the NHS and Beresford Blake Thomas.