Skilled worker mobility
Significant barriers for skilled workers attempting to transfer across and within specific sectors, despite skills shortages.
267 items
3 sources
Source spread
Where this theme appears
Skilled worker mobility has been flagged across 3 independent accountability sources:
255 committee recs
1 NAO rec
11 IMB recs
When the same issue appears across inquiries, coroner reports, and regulators independently, it indicates a recurring issue across the public record.
Browse by source
Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Committee Recommendations (255) — showing 50 strongest matches
#14 —
Recommendation: The Government must urgently remove barriers to workforce mobility across the AUKUS partners, beginning with security clearances. We recommend that the MOD, working with trilateral partners and in consultation with industry, set out within six months a clear plan to …
Response Pending
#13 —
Recommendation: We are deeply concerned by the Government’s failure to recognise the impact of barriers to workforce movement across the trilateral. The ensuing inconvenience and cost may currently be manageable—although they are having a stifling effect on collaboration—but it is clear …
Response Pending
#20 — Construction industry faces capacity challenges from ageing workforce and Brexit, impacting remediation acceleration.
Recommendation: We asked witnesses if the construction industry had the capacity to support the acceleration of remediation. The HBF told us acceleration was happening, but that it would be challenging. It outlined some of the challenges facing the sector, including an …
Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: July 2025 The government agrees to update the Committee on the work it is doing to increase capacity and skills across the building sector to …
Accepted
#23 — Slow transition of skilled home heating workforce to low carbon retrofit, compounded by ageing.
Recommendation: The UK has a skilled home heating workforce but its transition to work on low carbon retrofit is not happening at the pace required to upgrade homes at scale. This is compounded by a twin underlying crisis: few new entrants …
Gov response: The government recognises that a skilled, competent and robust supply chain is needed to deliver the necessary upgrades to buildings. Growing this workforce requires certainty, via government funding or regulation, so that companies can make …
Accepted
#22 — Develop targeted support and upskilling for new Welsh farmers, protecting tenant farming
Recommendation: The UK Government should work in close partnership with the Welsh Government to develop more targeted support and technical upskilling programmes for young and new entrants into the Welsh farming sector. In doing so, it must actively promote and protect …
Gov response: The UK Government recognises the importance of supporting new entrants and tenant farmers across Wales. Defra officials continue to work closely with the Welsh Government on shared challenges facing the sector and we remain committed …
Not Addressed
#21 — UK Government fails to recognise tenant farming's vital role for new Welsh entrants
Recommendation: We support a long-term vision for farming in which generational transition within the sector is more actively supported. This includes creating clear and viable pathways for new entrants into farming, while ensuring that older farmers feel confident and assured to …
Gov response: The UK Government recognises the importance of supporting new entrants and tenant farmers across Wales. Defra officials continue to work closely with the Welsh Government on shared challenges facing the sector and we remain committed …
Not Addressed
#26 — Link investment in training to nationally recognised accreditation for retrofit and clean energy workers
Recommendation: We emphasise that workforce expansion in retrofit and clean heat must go hand-in-hand with high and verifiable standards of competence. Written evidence criticised aspects of the existing skills and competence system in retrofit and related sectors, calling for tighter and …
Gov response: The government agrees with this recommendation. In January 2025, as part of the Warm Homes Plan, the government announced it would review the system of standards, oversight and protections for energy efficiency and microgeneration installations …
No Published Response
#18 — Establish a nationally recognised, industry-backed construction and retrofit skills programme with partners.
Recommendation: Given the scale of workforce demand in construction and retrofit, including the need for an estimated additional 250,000 workers to meet new housing targets and millions more for retrofit we recommend that Government work with CITB, Skills England, and industry …
Gov response: The government agrees with this recommendation As outlined in the Warm Homes Plan, the Department is working across government and with industry to avoid unnecessary competition for skilled workers and maximise the benefits of investment …
No Published Response
#14 — Empower devolved governments and resource coordination for consistent training and skill portability.
Recommendation: We welcome the Government’s attention to leveraging the significant potential of various levels of devolved government across different parts of the UK. They should be empowered to lead on approaches tailored to local or regional strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, the …
Gov response: The government agrees with this recommendation. As stated in the Clean Energy Jobs Plan, devolved governments, Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs), and local authorities are pivotal in shaping and delivering a responsive, place-based skills system. The …
No Published Response
#12 — Devolved governments are crucial for national workforce planning, ensuring consistent quality and skill portability.
Recommendation: National workforce planning will need to be delivered beyond Whitehall and devolved levels of government have a crucial role to play. National plans need to recognise that delivery of the workforce may diverge according to local circumstance and need while …
Gov response: The government agrees with this recommendation. As stated in the Clean Energy Jobs Plan, devolved governments, Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs), and local authorities are pivotal in shaping and delivering a responsive, place-based skills system. The …
No Published Response
#6 — Set out options by 2026 for leveraging skilled immigration to boost home-grown talent.
Recommendation: The Government should, by the end of 2026, set out a range of further options for conditionality to leverage the short-term need for skilled immigration to boost the longer-term need for home-grown talent. An analysis of their potential impacts should …
Gov response: The government agrees with this recommendation. As stated in the Clean Energy Jobs Plan, devolved governments, Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs), and local authorities are pivotal in shaping and delivering a responsive, place-based skills system. The …
Not Addressed
#4 — Expand Skills Passports and establish commitments for energy sector workforce transition and support targets.
Recommendation: The Government must continue to tackle barriers preventing existing energy sector workers transitioning successfully. Skills Passports and associated funding should be expanded. The Government in its response to us should propose how the transferability of skills across traditional boundaries and …
Gov response: The government agrees with this recommendation. The Warm Homes Plan was published on 21 January 2026 outlining how the government will deliver £15 billion of public investment to upgrade up to 5 million homes and …
Accepted
#3 — Explore Danish measures for skills shortages and initiate work on home-grown talent for clean energy.
Recommendation: There may be a need for the import of some specific skills from overseas, at least in the short term, to deliver on targets for clean energy and the decarbonisation of buildings. We heard of significant efforts by the Danish …
Gov response: The government partially agrees with this recommendation The clean energy workforce is already providing good jobs to hundreds of thousands of people across the UK. Our priority is to keep growing this domestic skill base …
Accepted
#1 — Skilled labour supply insufficient to meet demand for clean energy and decarbonised buildings.
Recommendation: The supply of skilled labour does not currently match the levels of demand expected to be required if the UK is to fulfil Government’s ambitions to deliver clean energy by 2030 and decarbonised buildings by 2050. (Conclusion, Paragraph 29)
Gov response: The government agrees with this recommendation. The government is committed to tackling the barriers preventing the transition of existing energy sector workers. The majority of the workforce needed to meet our clean energy ambitions are …
Accepted
#12 — Consult the transport manufacturing sector on a ‘competency passport’ approach for worker transferability.
Recommendation: Skilled workers face significant barriers when trying to move across and within areas of transport manufacturing. This is especially frustrating when employers report persistent skills shortages. Skills England should by the end of 2026 consult the transport manufacturing sector on …
Gov response: The Industrial Strategy and Post 16 Education and Skills White Paper commit Skills England to engage with industry and partners to explore the development of skills passports. From Skills England’s engagement so far, it is …
No Published Response
#34 —
Recommendation: The Union Learning Fund is a crucial programme for delivering workplace training. It has a strong track record of proven effectiveness and should be treated in line with other training providers in both the public and private spheres. It has …
Gov response: 89. The UK is facing a significant challenge on skills. The impact of covid-19 has compounded the already rapid rate of change of our economy and it is clear that we have a considerable skills …
Under Consideration
#31 —
Recommendation: The Department must make the case for a three-year funding settlement for community learning at the next spending review. The Department should review and consolidate the many community learning funding streams to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy for providers. (Paragraph 83) Employer-led …
Gov response: 78. The principal purpose of the AEB is to engage adults and provide the skills and learning they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. Community Learning plays a considerable role …
Under Consideration
#29 —
Recommendation: The Department must work with the adult education sector to develop a better understanding of what data exists on community learning and where any gaps might be. This should include mapping and regularly publishing data on how many community learning …
Gov response: 78. The principal purpose of the AEB is to engage adults and provide the skills and learning they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. Community Learning plays a considerable role …
Under Consideration
#23 —
Recommendation: The Department’s lifelong learning strategy must include an ESOL element. The Department should take a lead role for adult ESOL strategy to ensure a more joined up approach to cross-Department ESOL funding and objectives. The Department must undertake analysis to …
Gov response: 64. This government remains committed to the manifesto commitment to boost English language teaching to empower existing migrants and help promote integration into society, as we know that language skills are crucial to help people …
Under Consideration
#18 —
Recommendation: The Department should extend the entitlement to a free level 3 qualification further, so that unemployed adults who already have a level 3 are fully funded to retrain at level 3 in priority skills sectors.
Gov response: This government remains committed to the manifesto commitment to boost English language teaching to empower existing migrants and help promote integration into society, as we know that language skills are crucial to help people integrate …
Under Consideration
#16 —
Recommendation: The Department should remove funding restrictions for first full level 2 qualifications, restoring funding for adults who are over 24 and employed. The Department must fund a promotional campaign to ensure no adult remains unaware of what qualifications and funding …
Gov response: This government remains committed to the manifesto commitment to boost English language teaching to empower existing migrants and help promote integration into society, as we know that language skills are crucial to help people integrate …
Under Consideration
#5 —
Recommendation: By focusing on academic qualifications, the new immigration policy takes a narrow focus on skills, although we welcome the Government’s decision to reduce the threshold to the equivalent of A-levels or Scottish Highers (RQF3/SCQF6). We are concerned that this policy …
Gov response: 5.1. In addition to strengthening domestic recruitment pipelines, and supporting the creation of new skills development programmes aimed at UK workers, the Government agrees with the committee that we must also carefully monitor the overall …
Under Consideration
#3 —
Recommendation: The example of the veterinarian sector highlights the important role that overseas- trained employees undertake in the food supply chain, in this case working in abattoirs that are unattractive to UK-trained vets. In addition, these Official Veterinarians face an increase …
Not Addressed
#2 —
Recommendation: The UK is competing globally for skilled labour, the availability of which is vital to the ongoing success of the UK food supply chain. It is important therefore that bureaucracy and fees are minimised, and their impact kept under review. …
Gov response: 1 https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021–03–04/hcws822 First Special Report of Session 2021–22 3 3.1. When outlining the purpose of the UK points-based immigration system, the our domestic work force, rather than relying on labour from abroad. At the same …
Accepted
#8 —
Recommendation: The UK has long occupied an important place in Europe’s live music ecosystem, and has traditionally been a starting point for tours creating work for UK-based freelancers and suppliers. The substantial UK-based infrastructure, including haulage, for tours and festivals is …
Gov response: This Government recognises the importance of the UK’s creative and cultural industries, not only to the economy and international reputation of the United Kingdom, but also to the wellbeing and enrichment of its people. We …
Not Addressed
#32 —
Recommendation: We recommend that by the end of 2021, the Skills and Productivity Board, or similar body, is tasked with ongoing monitoring of skills needs, with regular periodic reviews, to ensure forward-looking and responsive skills planning which encompasses the needs of …
Gov response: The role of the Skills and Productivity Board is to provide independent, actionable insights to help shape skills policy, focusing particularly on longer-term strategic issues and how they will affect productivity. Therefore, throughout its work, …
Not Addressed
#31 —
Recommendation: Without closely monitoring current and future skills needs and shortages across the net zero transition, there is a risk that today’s courses and training are not addressing the demands of the future. This monitoring needs to be ongoing, to respond …
Gov response: The role of the Skills and Productivity Board is to provide independent, actionable insights to help shape skills policy, focusing particularly on longer-term strategic issues and how they will affect productivity. Therefore, throughout its work, …
Not Addressed
#11 —
Recommendation: Given the labour shortages facing the food and farming sector, we are surprised that the Government chose to ignore its own Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) advice on which roles should be added to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). While we …
Gov response: On 24 December 2021, the government announced that the Seasonal Worker route would be extended through to 2024, allowing overseas workers to come to the UK for up to six months to harvest both edible …
Under Consideration
#5 —
Recommendation: The Government’s temporary short-term visa schemes for poultry workers, pork butchers and HGV drivers were seriously deficient. They were implemented too late, with many workers unable to arrive in time to help the sector prepare for Christmas and avoid poultry …
Gov response: . in the food and farming sector, including using quantitative and qualitative data from both Government and industry sources. Given the importance of seasonal labour in horticulture for bringing in the harvest, Defra monitors labour …
Under Consideration
#1 —
Recommendation: The evidence we have received leaves us in no doubt that labour shortages, caused by Brexit and accentuated by the pandemic, have badly affected businesses across the food and farming sector. If not resolved swiftly, they threaten to shrink the …
Gov response: The Government has worked closely with the pig industry to help them respond to the challenges caused by the pandemic, including the loss of exports to the Chinese market for certain pig processors, disruption to …
Under Consideration
#13 —
Recommendation: We recommend that the Government should negotiate an agreement with the EU to provide a single-entry document for performers to submit to any EU country they wish to visit. (Paragraph 57) Resources
Gov response: The Government believes that the proposal of an EU-wide visa waiver is unviable. The EU did not offer a visa waiver for paid activities during the Trade and Cooperation Agreement negotiations. Instead, a reciprocal visa …
Not Accepted
#14 —
Recommendation: We welcome the steps being taken by the Government to encourage talent from overseas, although it has yet to be seen whether they will help to solve the challenges faced by the semiconductor industry in recruiting and retaining workers with …
Gov response: The Government recognises the importance of skills across our semiconductor sector, and is taking action to make the UK talent pool stronger and more dynamic. Our approach to skills within the Strategy comes in two …
Accepted
#22 —
Recommendation: We recommend that the UK and Scottish Governments work in tandem with industry in identifying the jobs and skills gaps in the existing workforce. Industry should work in cooperation with the UK Government to ensure their policies and initiatives are …
Gov response: The following is a combined response to recommendations 20, 21 & 22: The UK Government is committed to supporting green jobs, skills and industries. The UK Government will enable workers, places and sectors to transition …
Accepted
#11 —
Recommendation: The Home Office should explore more flexible visa arrangements for workers it is planning to place on long routes to settlement, so they are not reliant on a particular employer to maintain their immigration status. Workers granted sponsored visas could …
Response Pending
#10 —
Recommendation: There is a benefit to having a sponsored work visa system in that it supports oversight and makes it easier for the Home Office to confirm immigrants are coming to work in genuine roles. However, sponsorship-based visa systems increase the …
Response Pending
#13 — Retaining oil and gas worker skills is vital for Scotland's energy transition.
Recommendation: It is vital that the skills of workers who have made Scotland’s oil and gas industry successful are not lost. We welcome the efforts of both governments to support the development of clean energy jobs and the transfer of skills …
Gov response: The Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund is an important programme in helping to create a just, fair and prosperous transition for workers in the sector looking to retrain into new roles and for their …
Not Addressed
#2 — Mismanged energy transition risks severe harm to UK economy, jobs, and Scottish communities.
Recommendation: Such an approach is the minimum necessary for a smooth transition of workers, and to avoid the risk of harming UK tax revenues, economic activity, and employment in many Scottish communities, where the effects of the transition will be disproportionately …
Gov response: The government is committed to achieving a fair and inclusive transition. Managing our existing fields for their lifespan will support a smoother transition and retain the skilled workforce we need in the UK as we …
Not Addressed
#10 — UK lacks sufficient education-to-industry pipeline and adequate workforce reskilling and upskilling support.
Recommendation: The UK does not have a sufficient pipeline from education to industry. Re- skilling and upskilling are also not adequately supported to better enable people to be retained by existing businesses or move from one business or sector to another. …
Gov response: The Government thanks the Transport Select Committee for its report and recognises the significant challenges that skills gaps present to transport manufacturing. As previously noted in written evidence to the Committee, Skills England identified that …
No Published Response
#54 —
Recommendation: In particular, we have heard there are concerns that the levy will disproportionately affect institutions with high numbers of local students and students from disadvantaged backgrounds, the very same students who the Government intends will benefit from maintenance grants. In …
Response Pending
#53 —
Recommendation: The Government has decided to proceed with the international student levy, despite the evidence which we received expressing concerns about its impact on the higher education sector. We urge the Government to engage with and take on board the concerns …
Response Pending
#52 —
Recommendation: We heard strong opposition from the higher education sector to the International Student Levy. They are concerned they may not be able to pass on the extra cost to students through higher fees and will struggle to absorb the additional …
Response Pending
#48 —
Recommendation: The Government response should also outline how its approach on BCA will help rather than harm attempts to diversify where higher education providers recruit international students from. (Recommendation, Paragraph 246)
Response Pending
#47 —
Recommendation: The Government should address the concerns raised by higher education providers about how they will monitor the tougher BCA targets for institutions. It should commit to using real-time data, avoid using unreliable international ranking metrics, consider phasing in the changes, …
Response Pending
#46 —
Recommendation: We understand the Government’s wish to crackdown on abuse of the student visa system. The Government has decided to pursue this objective through reforming the BCA requirements. We have heard concerns from higher education providers and stakeholders about the implementation …
Response Pending
#45 —
Recommendation: The Government should carefully monitor the impact of its graduate visa changes, and publish an independent evaluation of the changes one year after the reduction to 18 months for undergraduate and taught postgraduate students takes effect. (Recommendation, Paragraph 231) 117
Response Pending
#44 —
Recommendation: We heard concerns about changes to the Graduate Visa under the previous and present governments. The graduate visa was one factor in the increase in international student numbers after 2021, and the changes since 2023 have been a factor in …
Response Pending
#43 —
Recommendation: The Home Office should be made a co-owner of the International Education Strategy and commit to adhering to it in future immigration policy that affects international students. This should be alongside stronger coordination across the Government on higher education policy. …
Response Pending
#42 —
Recommendation: The Home Office plays a significant, even preeminent, role in the financial health of the higher education sector. This is because international students are heavily affected by changes in immigration rules. This influence came in for some strong criticism in …
Response Pending
#41 —
Recommendation: The financial pressures on the higher education sector have driven the sector’s reliance on international students. This reliance has been directly driven by decisions of the Government. Immigration policies have a very significant effect on the higher education sector, and …
Response Pending
#15 —
Recommendation: The development of new SSN facilities in Adelaide and Perth could pose a risk to workforce retention at the UK’s equivalent facilities in Barrow-in- Furness and Plymouth. The MOD must closely monitor workforce flow as the design and build of …
Response Pending
IMB Recommendations (11)
Coldingley (2025)
The Minister should take action to help those staff whose visas and jobs are threatened by the recent changes to immigration regulations.
Ministry of Justice
Cardiff IMB (2025)
Pryd fydd y Gweinidog yn codi gyda'r Swyddfa Gartref yr angen i ddatrys statws hawl i weithio staff carchardai, fel y gallant barhau i gael eu cyflogi gan y Gwasanaeth Carchardai?
Ministry of Justice
Cardiff (2025)
When will the Minister raise with the Home Office the need to resolve the right-to-work status of prison staff, so they can remain employed in the Prison Service?
Ministry of Justice
Bedford (2025)
Will the Minister influence government policy so that staff on overseas visas are not lost to the prison service?
Other
Hollesley Bay (2021)
Recognising that there are difficulties in developing an ‘employers forum’ for Hollesley Bay (since many of the prisoners’ home addresses will be considerable distances away) the prison should develop a two-stage approach towards prisoner employability whereby basic skills or behaviours are brought up to scratch and other labour market considerations are developed to give prisoners the best chance of employment …
Governor / Director
Portland (2025)
The Minister should take steps to ensure that the Prison Service does not lose staff on work visas, given the change in the minimum salary visa requirements when the profession does not offer competitive remuneration.
Ministry of Justice
Bullingdon (2022)
The increasing churn of prisoners has meant that in many cases prisoners are not able to progress from unskilled work to skilled work, or if they do, to finish any training courses that they undertake as part of that skilled work. Similarly, in a number of cases prisoners have been unable to complete education courses owing to transfer or release. …
HMPPS
Wymott (2025)
What steps will the Minister take to protect the employment status of officers recruited from overseas?
Ministry of Justice
The Verne (2025)
Will the Minister commit to making the exemption for prison officers from the new visa extension salary requirement permanent? The current temporary exemption, which expires at the end of 2026, risks prolonged uncertainty for the workforce.
Ministry of Justice
Bristol (2025)
What action is the Minister taking to mitigate the impact of the Home Office’s proposed changes to the visa system that is likely to adversely affect the recruitment of new prison officers?
Ministry of Justice
Wealstun (2021)
To consider how to encourage employers to be more supportive towards employing ex-offenders, given the shortage of labour in certain sectors (para 7.5.4 refers).
Other