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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS BY DEPUTY P.V.F. LE CLAIRE OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 1st FEBRUARY 2011
Question
Can the Minister provide for members a detailed breakdown (by sector and by country of origin) of those individuals currently working in Jersey on work permits; the number of dependents they have and whether any of those dependents have the right to work by virtue of their relationship to the prime work permit holder?
Can he also provide these details for the whole of 2010?
Would he agree to take personal oversight or appoint a political lead, to ensure that all requests for non EU labour to fill jobs have had a serious consideration of potential on-Island employees by cross referencing with Social Security, considering that 1,700 people are currently unemployed in Jersey at present?
Answer
Powers conferred by the United Kingdom Immigration Act 1971, as extended to Jersey by the Immigration (Jersey) Order 1993, allow the Minister for Home Affairs to make rules to govern the employment in Jersey of persons from outside the European Economic Area.
The Immigration (Work Permits) (Jersey) Rules 1995 are administered by the Customs and Immigration Service under delegated authority of the Minister for Home Affairs. Work permits are issued to a specific employer for a limited period where it can be demonstrated that particular qualifications or skills are in short supply in the resident and permit free European labour market. Employers may show that appropriate advertising has taken place locally and it has failed to attract candidates with suitable qualifications and experience. However, employment opportunities advertised exclusively at the Social Security Department would be insufficient to meet the extensive advertising requirement of the Work Permit Rules.
Work permit holders may be accompanied to Jersey by their dependants only where a work permit is issued for a period of 12 months or more. Work permit dependants are permitted to take employment in Jersey.
The Customs and Immigration Service liaises with the Economic Development Department to establish the level of skills gaps and shortages within the Island.
The Minister is confident that the criteria for issuing work permits to non-EEA nationals in Jersey are being correctly applied by the Customs and Immigration Service and that cases requiring political oversight are referred for his consideration.
The Customs and Immigration Service is currently undertaking a review of the work permit policy and is due to report back to the Minister with its findings by the end of February 2011.
The Minister will, in the light of that report, and after any further appropriate consultation, review the current operation of the Work Permit Rules.
The breakdown, by sector and nationality, of work permit holders and their dependants in Jersey at end of December 2010 is shown in Tables 1 and 2 below.
The breakdown, by sector, of work permits issued in Jersey during 2010 is shown in Table 3 below. Table 1
Number of Permit Holders and their Dependants by Sector (31 December 2010)
Sectors | Total No. Work Permit Holders | Total No. Work Permit Dependants |
Finance | 171 | 114 |
Hospitality | 73 | 9 |
Information Technology | 38 | 16 |
Health | 35 | 31 |
Legal | 23 | 14 |
Other (Education, Sport, Telecommunications, Engineering) | 17 | 21 |
Total | 357 | 205 |
Table 2
Number of Work Permit Holders and Dependants by Nationality (31 December 2010)
Nationality Number Argentine 3
Australian 37 Bahamian 1
Bangladeshi 2 Barbadian 1 Botswana 3 Canadian 15 Chinese 3 Croatian 1 Egyptian 3 Filipino 54 Georgian 1 Ghanaian 4 Hong Kong SAR 4 Indian 173 Israeli 5 Jamaican 4 Jordanian 2 Kenyan 67 Malawian 11 Malaysian 13 Mauritian 10 Moroccan 1 Namibian 1 New Zealander 13 Nigerian 1 Pakistani 19 Russian 3 Saudi Arabian 1 Singaporean 2 South African 52 Sri Lankan 6
Tanzanian 1 Thai 3 Trinidad/Tobago 1
Ugandan 13 USA 12 Zambian 5 Zimbabwean 11
Total 562
Table 3
Breakdown, by sector, of Work Permits issued in 2010
Total No. Sectors Work Permit Holders
Finance 125 Hospitality 72
Information Technology 43
Health 38 Legal 15
Entertainment 17
Other
(Education, Sport,
23 Telecommunications,
Engineering)
Total 333