UK 'needs more skilled workers'

An increase of migrant workers is needed in order to make the UK's firms more innovative and help to close the skills gap, it has been claimed. <br/><br/>

An increase of migrant workers is needed in order to make the UK's firms more innovative and help to close the skills gap, it has been claimed.

A new report suggests that UK industries need to take on more skilled foreigners, particularly in the IT and science and technology sectors.

The research by the Work Foundation found that while the UK currently employs the third largest number of migrants with professional and technical skills, more are still needed to ensure it stays internationally competitive.

Katerina Rudiger, author of the Towards a Global Labour Market? report, said: "Global firms need more global people - not just to fill shortages, but for the sake of enabling firms to innovate.

"The UK's best bet for making the most of globalisation is to tap the increasing flows of highly qualified people around the world."

The majority of skilled workers come to the UK from India, according to the study, followed by those from the US, Philippines and South Africa.