BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Britain’s post-Brexit immigration system will enable businesses to bring in high-skilled workers from the rest of the world, but firms should also do more to train up young British people, Prime Minister Theresa May said.
Immigration was a major issue in the 2016 vote to leave the European Union and May has promised to end the free movement of EU citizens to live in Britain.
The government is due to publish a policy paper soon setting out how the new immigration system will work, and many businesses are worried about their ability to hire staff with the right skills post-Brexit.
“We are talking to business about their needs … What I hope to see and what I’m sure we will be seeing is opportunities for young people in the UK, opportunities for training and skilling young people in the UK,” May told reporters at the G20 summit in Argentina.
“We recognise that there are businesses who want to bring people in from the rest of the world, particularly in highly skilled areas and our immigration system will reflect that.”
In September, a government-commissioned report recommended Britain should not give preferential treatment to EU workers in its post-Brexit immigration system but should prioritise the higher-skilled.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by David Stamp)
