To close or not to close our borders - the immigration question

Anthony Sherick, MD at specialist IT jobsite Technojobs, argues about the dangers to business of limiting immigration, with demand for skilled technology workers at an all-time high

From 2010 to 2015, the UK saw annual net migration rise from 252,000 to 298,000 - an increase that was largely considered one of the Conservatives' biggest failures during its last term in government relative to their election promise.

But with David Cameron firmly back in Downing Street and free of the constraints of a coalition, along with the rapid growth of Eurosceptic parties like UKIP, it is clear that a key focus during the next five years will be the UK's borders and perhaps more importantly, who we let through them.

Indeed, the UK public continues to doubt the benefits of immigration, with a recent poll of 20,000 Britons finding that 77 per cent of respondents thought it would help the economy "if the government were to clamp down on immigration and dramatically reduce the numbers entering Britain".

But as the Prime Minister rolls up his sleeves in preparation for some tough negotiations with Brussels, it's important to consider what impact tightened immigration laws could have on UK business and the long-term economic plan - particularly in fast-growth sectors, such as our burgeoning digital economy.

From Fintech to faster broadband and tech start-ups, the government has pledged to support and fund a number of tech initiatives and companies across the nation, creating more jobs and attracting investment into the UK. But while the appetite for growth exists, the UK continues to lag behind its European counterparts, with our main obstacle being a significant lack of specialist skilled talent to meet the demand.

Tech City UK, which was launched by the last government in 2010 in a bid to make the UK Europe's centre of innovation and location of choice for tech and digital companies and investors, has already launched a number of programmes to attract the best global talent and meet the sector's need for skills.

Despite this, tech companies are still finding it hard to hire talent from inside of the UK to keep up with growing demand. The government will therefore need to carefully consider what immigration laws it reviews to ensure it doesn't put off skilled cyber security professionals, data scientists and senior developers among others from entering the country, where they may be needed to help foster the growth of UK tech companies.

That said, there remains the fear among many UK tech workers that encouraging employers to fill skills gaps with foreign candidates could result in companies passing domestic talent and IT contractors by in favour of cheaper labour from overseas. Certainly, while this hasn't been reflected in IT salaries or contractor day rates, which continue to rise, it's clear that immigration cannot be a permanent solution and what we really need to address is our education system to encourage young people to pursue careers in technology, as well as encourage more women into technology.

David Cameron already went some of the way to achieving this by introducing computing as a compulsory subject in primary and secondary schools last year, making the IT language feel less intimidating and more accessible. However, it's also key that teachers and career advisers are better informed of the diversity of roles available in the technology industry so that our future workforce is aware of the possibilities that could be available to them, which will not just help to address the skills gap, but also gender discrepancies within the industry.

While we wait for this budding talent to grow, however, we do need to look to the immediate future - an incredible one million technology jobs that need to be filled by 2020 according to predictions from Tech City UK. A one-size-fits-all approach to immigration could very well damage the UK tech sector's growth prospects as other countries speed ahead, so let's not blanket close-up shop without assessing the situation carefully because ultimately, if we restrict certain in-demand skills, we may not have a digital legacy to pass on.

Anthony Sherick is MD at specialist IT jobsite Technojobs