UK skilled migrant jobs to be slashed

Australians wanting to work in Britain face cuts to the number of skilled jobs open
to them under plans to curb local unemployment levels.
The UK government has been advised to remove nearly 300,000 skilled jobs from the
list of positions open to workers from outside the European Union.
Its Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) says more than 100,000 skilled construction
jobs, including managers and quantity surveyors, on large property projects should
immediately be closed to foreign applicants.
Social workers involved in adult care are also set to be removed from the official
shortage occupation list.
But advisers say orchestra musicians, high-level contemporary dancers and
special-effects animators for film and video should be added to the list of shortage
skilled occupations so more overseas staff can be recruited.
MAC chairman David Metcalf said the new shortage list took account of the impact of
the global recession on Britain, cutting the number of jobs open to skilled workers
from outside the EU from 800,000 to 530,000.
"We have looked critically at the evidence regarding the occupations under review
and made recommendations which balance the needs of the UK workforce against those
of employers," Professor Metcalf told The Guardian.
Home secretary Jacqui Smith was expected to implement the recommendations, which
form part of the new points-based immigration system.