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1240/5(5131)
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BY DEPUTY G.P. SOUTHERN OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 23rd FEBRUARY 2010
Question
"Will the Minister inform members of the data relating to the statement made by the Director of Population on the application of the Regulation of Undertakings and Development Law (Jersey) 1973 to the Health, Social Security and Housing Scrutiny Panel on 9th February 2010 that there was a clear change in the number of non local permissions issued in 2009, giving the changes overall and by sector in percentage and real terms to demonstrate the trend over the 5 year period from 2005 to 2009?
Can the Minister confirm whether any changes revealed by such figures result from a change of policy and are not simply a response to changing demand from business?"
Answer
The net change in permission on joint staffing licenced for non locally qualified employees is as follows:
| Net change in Licences for non locally qualified employees during the year | Licences for non locally qualified employees at year end | % change on previous year |
2006 | 464 | 7,565 | 6.5% |
2007 | 798 | 8,363 | 10.5% |
2008 | 545 | 8,908 | 6.5% |
2009 | 70 | 8,978 | 0.8% |
The issue of new licences is a matter for the Minister, and the above statistics illustrate a clear change in stance when making decisions, reflecting the present economic climate and the need to support local employment.
At the same time, any specific difficulties businesses may face when recruiting are taken into account alongside a desire to support businesses in difficult trading conditions, and therefore additional permissions are being given as absolutely required.
In doing this, the Population Office, on the Minister's behalf, work closely with the Social Security Department to confirm employers claims that they have advertised and that no suitable local candidates are available. They also maintain good contacts with Highlands, Careers Service, and Jersey Enterprise in seeking to provide a balanced response.
It will be possible to provide the above analysis of licences on a sectoral basis in due course, and this will be considered as part of the production of the 31st December 2010 Manpower Statistics.
These Manpower Statistics will also show the actual number of non locally qualified people engaged in Jersey in total and by sector. In the most recent manpower statistics, for the period to 30th June, 2009, non local employment had decreased by 600, in particular in hotels and retail; while local employment had increased by 200 and j employment by 60. This supports the above picture of a tightening in the application of the Law.
It is also worth noting that the Law is not administered to deprive existing employees of their jobs, or to amend the terms of existing licences. The decision making therefore focuses on new applications, and renewals when licences come up for their 3 yearly review.
The Population Office has also produced some sample statistics, which are illustrative as to the latest decisions:
December December December 2009 2008 2007
Net change in non local employees permitted on - 5 + 65 + 84 joint staffing licences in the month