Recruiters have urged the UK government to help cut red tape and educate clients about the benefits of staff from the new EU countries.

Following the launch of the European Year of Workers' Mobility in Brussels, the European Union (EU) is set to encourage even more workers to ply their trade in other countries.

EU regulations set to come into force on 30 April will also make it easier for people to work in another country, with the abolition of residence cards for long-term workers.

Blue Care Medical has recruited 200 hospital doctors from the new Eastern European EU countries.

Managing director Christopher Hume told Recruiter that the government still needs to forge better links with Eastern European health services.

“The UK is good at linking up with places like Australia, India and the US. But there is still some work to be done with the health ministries in the new EU countries,” he said.

James Strickland, director of Omega Resource Group, believes questions remain over the issue of salaries.

“The image of these new EU countries is still one of low pay. Clients think they can pay less for an Eastern European worker,” he said.

At the Brussels conference Mario Monti, chairman of the European Citizen Action Service, said that the European Commission must “remove some of the problems facing jobseekers and workers moving from one country to the next, as well as do away with the restrictions on access to the labour market for citizens of new member states”.

According to Home Office figures, 345,000 people from the eight new Eastern European EU countries registered to work in the UK between May 2004 and December 2005.

See Freedom of movement feature