Responding to the Migration Advisory Committee recommendations to Government on Graduate Visas, Jane Gratton, Deputy Director of Public Policy, said: 

“This is a set of sensible recommendations from the MAC, which we hope the Government will take on board. 

“While there are signs that recruitment difficulties are easing, businesses tell us that finding the people with the right skills to plug the gaps they have remains a serious issue. 

“Our research shows that only 9% of SMEs are using the immigration system to recruit staff as it remains expensive and complex. 

“However, the Graduate Visa route offers SMEs access to global talent in their local area. This route is part of the solution to the skills shortages problem, but much more remains to be done. 

“Businesses also need support to increase their investment in workplace training if we are to tackle skills shortages for the long-term.  

“We need to see action from politicians to break down the barriers to work for everyone. The number of people outside the workforce because of health issues remains a particular concern and more must be done to address this.”