British jobs to be advertised locally for a month from next year
Plans to give British workers a month's head start over migrant workers for new jobs will be introduced early next year.
By Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor
Telegraph.co.uk
Published: 6:00AM GMT 12 Nov 2009
Employers will made to advertise vacancies locally for four weeks before looking overseas for candidates in bid to reduce the proportion of foreign workers.
The Home Office has already accepted a recommendation from its key immigration advisory body to extend the advertising requirement from the current two weeks and now plans to implement in early 2010.
It comes as Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, will today make only his second major speech on immigration.
Earlier this month Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, said there was a need for a debate on immigration but also admitted the Government had been inept in its handling of the issue over the years.
Mr Brown faced criticism and ridicule after promising “British jobs for British workers” while official figures showed foreign workers were accounting for an increasing proportion of new vacancies.
Under current rules, employers must advertise vacancies through Job Centre Plus for two weeks before casting their net wider to foreign countries. In August the Migration Advisory Committee recommended that be extended to four weeks.
However, the move still does not stop EU citizens or other migrant workers from applying for the jobs advertised.
The Home Office has also insisted it is still pushing ahead with plans to introduce a points -based system to those wanting to earn British citizenship.
The plans are not in the Queen's Speech next week but could still be introduced in the next parliamentary session through secondary legislation.
In one of her last acts as Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith announced plans to place a limit on the number of non-European Union immigrants allowed to settle permanently in Britain.
Under the proposals, migrants who jeer at troops or “show disregard for UK values” could be barred from becoming British citizens as it would count against them in the points system.
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