Penny Streeter, managing director of healthcare recruiter Ambition 24 hours, has criticised government proposals to give British workers preferential treatment in the job market. 

Streeter says that proposals by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith  that employers are forced by law to advertise the posts in Jobcentres to give British workers the edge over foreign workers would only exacerbate skills shortages.

Streeter told Recruiter: “Employers have been unable to fill the jobs without using workers from overseas in the first place so this would make the shortage worse.”

Streeter adds that selection should be solely based on meeting job criteria.

 “The new initiative, described by Smith, a tough system that offers British workers the first crack at British jobs” would be limited to posts in fields such as construction, nursing, hotel management and teaching, It is likely it would affect 60,000-80,000 people.