UK employers that recruit workers from outside the European Economic Area will have to prove that the job could not have been filled from the “resident labour market” under a new points-based system, being introduced this Autumn.

Liam Byrne, immigration minister said: “Our new points system means that British jobseekers get the first crack of the whip and that only the skilled migrants we actually need will be able to come.”

The CBI, the employers organisation, welcomed Labours proposals. It said: “Migrants play an important role in helping UK firms fill skilled jobs where they would otherwise struggle to find staff. The work permit system must be flexible enough to respond to the changing needs of firms and todays rules should help deliver this.”

David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce accused the Labour and Conservative parties of trying to outbid each other to persuade voters that they were tough on immigration. Both parties want to place an annual cap on the number of migrants allowed into Britain.

He said: “The fight for global talent means we must not shut our borders to those who can help our economy diversify and grow. Setting arbitrary quotas to try and fit British-born workers into jobs is not the way to manage migration.”

He said that the points system would have only a limited impact on immigration because the vast majority of migrant workers from eastern and central European countries have had the right to work in the UK since their countries joined the EU in 2004. “What we need to ensure is that British workers have the skills they need, rather than creating a false environment that ignores the reality of a global economy,” said Mr Frost.

英国今秋将出台的新积分制度规定，从欧洲经济区(European Economic Area)外招募雇员的英国雇主必须证明，“常住劳动力市场”(resident labour market)不能填补所需职位空缺。

英国移民部长利亚姆•伯恩(Liam Byrne)表示：“我们的新积分制度意味着英国求职者会优先得到工作，而且只有我们真正需要的技术移民才能进入英国。”

英国雇主组织——英国工商业联合会(CBI)对工党的提议表示欢迎。该组织表示：“移民在帮助英国公司填补技术职位空缺方面发挥了重要作用，如果不是这样，这些英国公司可能就难以找到合适的雇员。工作许可制度必须有足够弹性，能及时反映公司不断变化的需求，目前的规定应有助于实现这个目标。”

英国商会(British Chambers of Commerce)会长大卫•弗罗斯特(David Frost)指责工党和保守党争相向选民表明自己在移民问题上态度强硬。两党都想制定每年允许进入英国的移民数量上限。

他表示：“争夺全球人才的战争意味着，我们不能对那些能够帮助我们实现经济多元化和增长的人关闭边境。通过人为设定配额来保障英国出生的工人的就业，并不是管理移民的好方法。”

弗罗斯特表示，积分制度对移民的影响将会十分有限，因为2004年加入欧盟的东欧和中欧国家的移民工人取得了在英国工作的权利。他说：“我们需要确保的是英国工人拥有所需技能，而不是创造一个无视全球经济现实的错误环境。”