To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address reported labour shortages; and what assessment they have made of the impact of current immigration rules on workforce levels.
Answered on
29 November 2022
The labour market is strong by historical standards. The overall inactivity rate, a factor in labour shortages, remains historically low.
Where low pay is a barrier to certain sectors, the Government is supporting better pay by, for example, ensuring that all tips go to staff and increasing the National Living Wage to £10.42 an hour.
The Government is also investing £3.8bn into skills and further education over this Parliament to ensure workers can develop the skills that businesses need.
The Home Office meet regularly with a range of industry stakeholders to discuss immigration policy and the needs of each sector.