Britain’s need for skilled workers is being ignored by the current debate on UK immigration, according to the founder of a website that provides content for businesses around the world.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Ed Bussey said the conversation about limiting immigration to Britain is focused on low-skilled workers and is failing to take into account the UK economy’s need for skilled staff from abroad.
Bussey said that many firms are now suffering and cannot meet their growth potential because they are unable to appoint the talented people they require from overseas.
He said: "The immigration debate at the moment seems to be a totally one-dimensional debate about Romanians and Bulgarians coming in and taking all our jobs. It is very superficial and it obscures a critical issue that exists in the digital technology sector."
To maintain the strong growth of the UK’s digital technology sector, the entrepreneur insisted that it must have access to the best talent – whether that is from the UK or abroad.
“I speak to all of my peers regularly about this and the single biggest problem that we all face is not a shortage of capital, it is not a shortage of a market opportunity, it is a shortage of talent,” he added.
Bussey said the problems could be solved if the Government created a simpler UK visa system that allowed businesses to appoint the skilled staff they need from outside the European Union. He said the current process is designed for large businesses seeking staff and is not helpful for fast-growing SMEs like his own firm.