The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has defended its visit to a jobs fair in Warsaw, saying that the migration of Polish workers was vital to solve skills shortages in the UK.

A REC delegation visited the jobs fair in the Polish capital two weeks ago, joining other British organisations such as the TUC and the Gangmasters Licensing Authority. The British presence was attacked by pressure group MigrationwatchUK, which said the groups' time would be better spent training British workers.

Anne Fairweather, external relations manager at REC, said the confederation was right to go, adding: "Although training the British workforce is a key issue, it won't solve the skills shortage we have overnight."