ABTA warns Govt on new immigration policy

ABTA has urged the Government to keep its new immigration salary threshold ‘under review’ in a new report.

The report, ‘Securing the future: how travel and tourism can attract the talent needed to sustain success’, reveals the skills and immigration challenges facing UK travel and tourism under the Government’s new policy.

The report demonstrates the importance of non-UK workers to the industry and urges the Government to listen to the employment and skills needs of travel and tourism businesses.

ABTA says the new salary threshold of £25,6000 is too high and should be kept ‘under close review’.

It also urges the Government to reconsider the lack of transitionary arrangements for low-skilled immigration to avoid serious short-term disruption; add foreign language skills to points-based immigration system and negotiate new mobility arrangements and a youth mobility deal in upcoming EU trade talks.

Launched at ABTA’s Brexit – The Immigration and Skills Challenge event in London, in front of Government and senior representatives from across the UK travel and tourism industry, the report demonstrates the importance of non-UK workers to the industry and urges the Government to listen to the employment and skills needs of travel and tourism businesses.

ABTA research, commissioned from the Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr), shows that 13% of the travel and tourism industry workforce is made up of non-UK workers, with 9% of all travel and tourism workers coming from EU countries.

With the UK enjoying record high rates of employment, businesses will face serious difficulties in retaining and recruiting staff in the absence of any temporary entry-route for so-called low-skilled workers.

With the imminent trade talks with the EU, ABTA is also asking the Government to agree a reciprocal youth mobility deal with the EU and underlines the importance of replacing existing mobility arrangements contained within the EU Posted Workers Directive.

The report shows that if an alternative agreement is not secured, up to 15,000 UK-based jobs will be at risk within the outbound travel industry, undermining the business model of many UK travel companies. Due to the recent political uncertainty since the referendum in 2016 the number of UK workers under this scheme has already fallen by 30%.

ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer said: "Tourism is one of the UK’s major success stories and jobs are at stake. The prosperity of the tourism industry doesn’t happen by accident, and the Government has a responsibility to ensure that the right policies are in place to ensure our industry continues to have access to the talent it needs to succeed.

"Europe is the UK’s primary destination and market for tourists, business travellers and workers, and the future trade talks, as well as the UK’s new immigration system, will shape the travel and tourism industry for years to come. The Government must listen and engage with our industry; we need to work together to get the right solution."

As part of the report, ABTA commissioned research on the travel and tourism industry’s labour market revealing the average full-time salary for employees in the tourism industry is £22,585.

It also revealed 27% of tourism workers are under 30, compared to the UK average of 17%; women make up 52% of the industry workforce (UK average 47%) and 16% of all tourism businesses currently report a skills shortage