Britain sees surge in migration despite Brexit – as skilled workers from Asia and Africa plug staff shortages

Published

2 years ago

May 22, 2023

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A growing number of skilled workers from Africa and Asia are moving to Britain to plug crippling staff shortages, according to new figures that reveal the changing picture of migration.

Businesses are making use of the new post-Brexit migration system to bring in IT professionals, nurses and accountants.

Since January 2021, the new system has made it easier for workers outside of Europe to enter the UK, even though the fees for businesses are high.

While the number of European migrants has fallen in recent years, this has been more than offset by a big rise in migrants from other parts of the world.

Contrary to some initial expectations, post-Brexit Britain has experienced a surge in migration. Official figures published this week could show that net migration has hit close to one million, making it another record high.

India, South Africa and Ghana are among the countries that are having success with the new skilled visa route.

Figures obtained by the law firm Eversheds Sutherland show that 5,133 visas were granted to skilled workers from Ghana between 2019 and 2022. Their numbers are increasing at a robust pace, as are Nigerians who were granted 20,468 visas over the same period.

The number of skilled migrants obtaining visas from South Africa jumped to 6,784 but, at 116,301, it is Indians who dominate the skilled visa route.

The health sector makes great use of the scheme but software engineers have also been in particularly high demand across the economy. More than 35,000 IT professionals have come to the UK under the new system.

Another 5,368 skilled visas have been granted to chefs since January 2021. The figure for chartered and certified accountants was 9,147. However, nurses and care workers dominated the scheme with 53,820 and 35,494 visas granted, respectively.

The first skilled visas were also granted for the clergy and for band 9 nurses. In the final three months of last year, 274 clergymen and women arrived in Britain on skilled visas.

A small but growing number of hairdressers, dressmakers and therapists have also made use of this route, as have gardeners and librarians.

In the case of hairdressers and salon managers, their numbers increased to 34 in the final quarter of last year.

Skills shortages in the country’s food supply chains are also being plugged by migrants. As many as 2,458 visas were granted to butchers during this period, while the number of bakers stood at 115. A total of 104 farmers have come to Britain under the scheme since January 2021.

The data, which was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, suggests that businesses are willing to absorb the cost of sponsorship to secure the talent they need even though the fees levied by the Home Office are high.

It comes at a time when many businesses are struggling to hire domestically. Although it is starting to weaken, Britain’s labour market is still tight and levels of economic inactivity are high.

There are still 282,000 more vacancies in the UK than before the pandemic even though the most recent official data shows that they fell by 55,000 in the three months to April. The same goes for the number of inactive workers, which fell by 156,000 over that three-month period, but is still relatively high.

A recent survey by the Federation of Small Businesses found that 80% of small firms are struggling to recruit candidates with suitable skills.

The figures will disappoint the home secretary, Suella Braverman, who recently called on businesses to train up workers in Britain before calling on overseas workers.

“High-skilled workers support economic growth. Fact,” she said in a speech at the National Conservatism Conference.

“But we need to get overall immigration numbers down, and we mustn’t forget how to do things for ourselves.”

“It’s not xenophobic to say that mass and rapid migration is unsustainable in terms of housing supply, service, and community relations.”

Louisa Cole, principal associate at Eversheds Sutherland, said: “Since the UK exited lockdown we have seen skills shortages exposed and businesses look overseas for talented workers to plug the gaps revealed… We knew that UK businesses leaned on international talent, but since leaving the EU many have looked further afield than the EU as freedom of movement ended.

“In some respects there is now a level playing field for those outside of the EU when coming to the UK.

“This has been evident in the likes of the financial services sector where UK firms have brought more talent from countries such as India, China, Nigeria and South Africa post-Brexit.”

Business

Bodycare to close 56 remaining stores – with nearly 450 to be made redundant

Published

8 hours ago

September 22, 2025

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Bodycare to close 56 remaining stores - with nearly 450 to be made redundant

High Street beauty chain Bodycare is to close its 56 remaining stores, resulting in 444 redundancies, administrators have said.

Last week it announced the closure of 30 shops, having collapsed into administration earlier this month.

A shortage of stock and the cost of running stores meant it was no longer viable to keep its 115 stores open, administrators said at the time.

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Business

Trump reveals Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch could be involved in TikTok deal

Published

17 hours ago

September 22, 2025

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Trump reveals Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch could be involved in TikTok deal

Donald Trump has revealed that media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan could be part of a deal in which TikTok in the United States will come under American control.

The US president also namedropped Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, as a possible participant in the deal during an interview with Fox News, which is owned by the Murdochs.

“I think they’re going to be in the group. A couple of others. Really great people, very prominent people,” Mr Trump said. “And they’re also American patriots, you know, they love this country. I think they’re going to do a really good job.”

Mr Trump said that Larry Ellison, founder and CEO of software firm Oracle, was part of the same group. His involvement in the potential TikTok deal had previously been revealed.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Saturday that Oracle would be responsible for the app’s data and security, with Americans set to control six of the seven seats for a planned TikTok board.

This comes after Mr Trump said he and China’s Xi Jinping held a “very productive call” on Friday, discussing the final approval for the TikTok deal, much of which is still unknown.

Once confirmed, the deal should stop TikTok from being banned in the US after lawmakers decided it posed a security risk to citizens’ data.

Officials warned that the algorithm TikTok uses is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to push specific content on the social media platform in a way that is difficult to detect.

Congress had ordered the app shut down for American users by January 2025 if its Chinese owner ByteDance didn’t sell its assets in the country – but the ban has been delayed four times by President Trump.

Mr Trump said on Sunday that he might be “a little prejudiced” about TikTok, after telling reporters on Friday: “I wasn’t a fan of TikTok and then I got to use it and then I became a fan and it helped me win an election in a landslide.”

After the call with Mr Xi, Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post: “We made progress on many very important issues, including Trade, Fentanyl, the need to bring the War between Russia and Ukraine to an end, and the approval of the TikTok Deal.”

Mr Trump later told reporters at the White House that Xi had approved the deal, but said it still needed to be signed.

Representatives for the Murdochs, Mr Dell and Mr Ellison have not yet commented on a potential TikTok deal.

Business

Gatwick second runway given green light by government

Published

17 hours ago

September 22, 2025

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Gatwick second runway given green light by government

Gatwick’s second runway has been given the go-ahead by the government.

The northern runway already exists parallel to Gatwick‘s main one, but cannot be used at the same time, as it is too close.

It is currently limited to being a taxiway and is only used for take-offs and landings if the main one has to shut.

The £2.2bn expansion project will see it move 12 metres north so both can operate simultaneously, facilitating 100,000 extra flights a year, 14,000 jobs, and £1bn a year for the economy.

It would also mean the airport could process 75 million passengers a year by the late 2030s.

Gatwick is already the second busiest airport in the UK, and the busiest single runway airport in Europe.

No public money is being used for the expansion plan, which airport bosses say could see the new runway operational by 2029.

The expansion was initially rejected by the Planning Inspectorate over concerns about its provisions for noise prevention and public transport connections.

Campaigners also argued the additional air traffic will be catastrophic for the environment and the local community.

A revised plan was published by the planning authority earlier this year, which it said could be approved by the government if all conditions were met.

The government says it is now satisfied this is the case, with additions made including Gatwick being able to set its own target for passengers who travel to the airport by public transport – instead of a statutory one.

Nearby residents affected by noise will also be able to charge the airport for the cost of triple-glazed windows.

And people who live directly under the flight path who choose to sell their homes could have their stamp duty and estate agent fees paid for up to 1% of the purchase price.

CAGNE, an aviation and environmental group in Sussex, Surrey, and Kent, says it still has concerns about noise, housing provision, and wastewaster treatment.

The group says it will lodge a judicial review, which will be funded by local residents and environmental organisations.

‘Disaster for the climate crisis’

Green Party leader Zack Polanski criticised the second runway decision, posting on X: “Aviation expansion is a disaster for the climate crisis.

“Anyone who’s been paying any attention to this shambles of a Labour Govenrment (sic) knows they don’t care about people in poverty, don’t care about nature nor for the planet. Just big business & their own interests.”

Friends of the Earth claimed the economic case for the airport expansion has been “massively overstated”.

Head of campaigns Rosie Downes warned: “If we’re to meet our legally-binding climate targets, today’s decision also makes it much harder for the government to approve expansion at Heathrow.”

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden welcomed the decision but said it “should have been made months ago”, claiming Labour have “dithered and delayed at every turn”.

“Now that Gatwick’s second runway has been approved, it’s crucial Labour ensures this infrastructure helps drive the economic growth our country needs,” he said.

A government source told Sky News the second runway is a “no-brainer for growth”.

“The transport secretary has cleared Gatwick expansion for take-off,” they said. “It is possible that planes could be taking off from a new full runway at Gatwick before the next general election.

“Any airport expansion must be delivered in line with our legally binding climate change commitments and meet strict environmental requirements.”