UK Considering Ban on Foreign Guest Workers Due to Labor Market Conditions

The United States seems to be the only country left which ignores labor economics and labor market realities.

The UK may shut its doors on foreign professionals:

Britain is planning to ban advertising jobs overseas due to economic meltdown, a process which could hit Indian professionals aspiring for employment opportunities in the UK.

The government is mulling an idea to ensure that existing jobs go to British workers. The employers are being forced to notify vacancies in employment agencies within Britain to prioritise local candidates.

Indians are among the largest foreign professionals working in Britain. Every day, thousands of jobs are being cut across the sectors in Britain. Official figures suggest that unemployment figure is reaching the 2 million mark, for the first time since the mid-1990s.

Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, has announced plans to force thousands of nursing, primary teaching, hotel management and other "skilled migrant" jobs to be advertised in employment agencies such as Jobcentre Plus. Smith said "when it comes to immigration, in difficult economic times, I believe we need a tough system that offers British workers the first crack of the whip for jobs here".

Companies that break the new rules could have their licence to employ non-European Union migrants revoked.

Officials believe that the change will curb the number of migrants coming to Britain because they will not be able to obtain a work visa without a specific job offer. Official figures show that immigrants have taken four out of every five new jobs in Britain since 1997.

Now this is common sense and frankly India's economic model of trading people to grow their economy, through pure labor arbitrage is not exactly free trade theory or even long term strategy. So why the United States should support it and thus throw their own workforce to the wolves of globalization is beyond me.

So, that's the question here.   In a domestic economy, is the first and primary responsibility to their existing citizens, or are their citizens last in consideration for a strong livelihood, career?

I'm not referring to rare talent here, I'm referring to plain old generic highly skilled and educated labor force. Of which there are plenty of Americans who need a job right now. There are many Visa categories, such as the "O" Visas, which will always encourage the gifted to become Americans.

Malaysia already banned foreign guest workers due to their high unemployment rate for their citizens.

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Calling Dr. Common Sense..please answer the White Telephone

This is EXACTLY what we need now...and 20 years ago! I hope this passes, and I hope we get the same idea.

don't ya know?

the minute any labor economics, global realities come into play....hey man, anyone who mentions it is a card carrying KKK member, racist xenophobe, white supremacist (we will ignore your own personal ethnicity in this claim of course).

Seriously and the thing that I find astounding, absolutely defies any labor economics reality is the idea of unlimited, unfettered global migration. The global workforce is in the billions, so obviously unfettered migration will be wage repression on steroids, never mind the other consequences of sudden influxes of peoples into one geographical location.

I mean it sounds all warm, fuzzy, "let's all hold hands and sing a cola-cola commercial song about how the world is just a global village" but the cold hard economic reality paints a very ugly picture.

there is a huge movement over on the "left" or should I say corporate cheap labor lobbyists plus special interests on the left who push this idea down the throats of the left and basically name call anyone who disagrees.

This is one of the reasons I went for "Populist" instead of Progressive because denying history, labor economics and especially the history of what happens to labor forces under these conditions....well I just can't go into denial to join in some inane sing along as if none of these facts exist.

I love your comment title, no shit man, what happened to plain ole common sense in the United States? It's like we have Homer Simpson creating policy most of the time.

Yes

Though not sure, now in hindsight, if I should've said "White telephone", some folks (And you know they're out there) will take that I meant pro-caucasion. This of course, is not the case (I myself, for the record, am part Latino). Open borders proponents seem to not grasp the entire costs of adopting such measures. No other nation does this to the extent that some are proposing. The EU, despite it's goals of having "Polish Plumbers in Paris", is wraught with exceptions to the rule. I'd wager that a GP from Estonia could not practice in the Benelux nations like he or she did back home.

I would say this about open borders, if it is to be adopted. We need to be honest and frame it to what it really means, Open Benefits. Not Free Benefits, because in some way, migrants pay some kind of tax (though not enough to cover expenses). So, if we're to have Open Benefits, then we have to accept that this something that the "host nation" is allowing entrance to a "labor provider nation" which is facilitating the migration of people through no restrictions of movement across stated territories. Secondly since this is in a sense, a symbiotic partnership, then if we are to have "Open Benefits", then there needs to be the application of "Open Costs." You can send us your people, but you will provide for the reinburstment of certain costs if said emigration is to be of a temporary nature (regardless of length). We would, in a sense, be renting out our employment prospects and economic resources. There must be rules in place, and mutual understanding that this is a business relationship and nothing more.

Of course, RO, I'm not in favor of such a thing. I highly doubt we would ever see the Open Costs portion of the partnership ever promoted let alone enforced. In the end, sadly, we would have a 21st century plantation system. Actually, in many ways, we do have that now.

Also, for the record, I've been toying around with thinking of myself as a Progressive-Nationalist. The latter part has had a negative connotation for a long time, especially links towards racism. I've included the term Progressive because I am open to new pragmatic solutions and the advancement of civil rights. Nationalism, for me, is wanting to put this country's welfare first. Now I guess to other readers I need to make a clarification here. One could make the claim that by putting the nation's welfare first could be interpreted as meaning waging imperialistic wars to secure resources for such welfare. That has been the case in past nationalist efforts (i.e. Nazi Germany and "lebensraum"). But for me, and this is where the Progressive elements should influence nationalism, it is removing a nation from foreign entanglements because it has cost us blood and treasure. Instead of pouring resources into wars in Viet Nam or Iraq, I say allocate towards improving our economy and healthcare and education. Like many other words that have been corrupted by an evil Right, we need to take this word back. I want to look out for this nation's children, be they of any race, creed, color, religion, or what have you. Let China worry about China, I know they don't worry about us, and I suspect neither do any of our friends and trading partners. It's time we worry about ourselves instead of meddling in the affairs of others. That to me is Progressive-Nationalism!

sounds like

you are navigating the same debate many have gone through.

I think anyone who has lived abroad in pretty much any other nation knows full well that each nation puts it's own citizens first. I've never seen anything like some of the attitudes in the U.S. anywhere else.

Cheap Labour

These people have nothing unique to offer other than their labour rate is lower (having to train them and then hand over your job to these people must be distressing). Hope they all get banned.

I just Obama follows the

I just Obama follows the lead to help American Citizens and Legal residents first.