You're welcome to come and live in Scotland, but only if you can …

Published on Tuesday 9 September 2008 22:44

SCOTTISH firms have almost three times as many vacancies for skilled workers as companies in England, according to a new report.

The study also includes a list of jobs, such as ballet dancer and sheep shearer, that need to be filled by immigrants to counter shortages across the UK.

Firms are struggling to retain foreign workers because of higher wages in England or in the North Sea oil industry.

The report, by a panel of economists analysing the importance of immigration to the UK's economy, found that 11 of every 1,000 jobs which migrants are needed to help fill are vacant in Scotland, compared to just four in every 1,000 in England.

The economists detail the 700,000 vacancies they believe should be filled by skilled migrants, from hospital consultants and maths teachers to racehorse trainers and hovercraft officers.

Three extra categories were added to cope with Scotland's specific needs – manual filleters for frozen fish plants, elderly care nurses and speech therapists.

The report also exposes the frustration felt by Scottish companies whose efforts to hire foreign staff collapse when they receive a better job elsewhere.

One fish-processing plant in Peterhead was forced to slash production last year after changes in immigration rules – combined with higher off-shore salaries – made it almost impossible to attract foreign workers.

Other employers, particularly those in rural or remote areas, said there were problems "across all sectors and occupations".

There was also concern that the UK government's plan for a "points-based" system of deciding which people to allow into the country offered workers no incentive to come to Scotland, where wages were lower.

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) report recommends cutting the jobs available to skilled migrants from one million to 700,000. Under the government's aim of "British jobs for British workers", Westminster is changing the rules to force firms to prove they cannot find British or European Union candidates to fill vacancies before they are allowed to recruit from outside the EU.

The expert panel did not believe that some professions – such as midwives, senior civil servants and hairdressers – should be filled by immigrants.

It also excluded general practitioners and all teachers, except those teaching maths or science. Non-EU social workers, most skilled construction workers, IT specialists and architects were also barred.

Professor David Metcalf, the MAC chairman, said: "Don't think we are a soft touch. There are rather more jobs which we have excluded from the list than we have included."

Prof Metcalf said the committee had asked Scots businesses whether they could make more effort to recruit workers from the UK, adding: "The answer was, 'We find it difficult to do that'."

Niall Stuart, of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, welcomed the fact that Scotland's skills shortage had been recognised but added: "I'm sure there are many more industries in Scotland that would want to be on a special list."

Iain Ferguson, of CBI Scotland, said: "We must not fall into the trap of thinking that immigration is the sole solution to the skills problems. It cannot be an alternative to up-skilling our home-grown workforce."