DEMAND for foreign workers in the UK has soared as sustained falls in unemployment, to lows not seen since the mid-1970s, have created shortages of skilled staff in many sectors of the economy.
The supply of workers has also been hit by sharp rises in the number of inactive people who have withdrawn from the jobs market. Figures this week showed that almost 8 million people of working age, mainly men, are failing to take part in the world of work.
Steep increases in the number of unfilled vacancies are a further notable symptom of demand for workers who are in short supply, and of employers’ need to widen their search for staff.
In the latest figures for the three months to August, there were 659,000 vacancies — up by 73,000, or 12.5 per cent, from a year earlier.