If you’ve seen the video clip on the Vox Political YouTube channel today, you’ll know that I suggested a way that the government’s plan to get the only-slightly-disabled (by its own arbitrary standards) into work. This is where I explain how I think this jobs plan could solve two issues at once.

I had been looking through clips from the past and found one in which politicians referred to the issue of immigrant workers as a problem.

The question under discussion was whether the legal migration level is unsustainable – because people come to the UK to fill gaps in the workforce. What is the answer? How do we lower migration but keep the workforce filled?

We could “upskill” the domestic workforce – invest in vocational training to get more British workers into high-demand roles. But would people with long-term health conditions be able to take on that kind of work?

It’s unlikely, for reasons I’ll explore below. But the government is investing £1 billion into its attempts to get sick and disabled people into gainful employment, and if the sick and disabled can’t do the kind of work required, it might be necessary to move things around a little.

We know the government tracks the jobs taken up by immigrant workers – through the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) and visa sponsorship data.

The SOL identifies jobs where there aren’t enough UK workers, and employers can then hire migrants with lower salary thresholds and reduced visa fees.

Employers must sponsor migrant workers, meaning the Home Office can track which industries are hiring the most non-UK workers, and the government regularly reviews these applications to assess labour market needs.

And the Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects data on workforce demographics, including migrant employment levels across industries.

So we know that migrant workers fill jobs in these sectors:

• Healthcare: NHS doctors, nurses, care workers.
• Construction: Bricklayers, electricians, plumbers.
• Hospitality: Chefs, hotel staff.
• Transport & Logistics: HGV drivers, warehouse workers.
• Agriculture: Seasonal farmworkers.

This is not good news for the long-term sick and disabled people of the UK as these are mainly physical jobs.

So it seems to This Writer that the government needs to make those jobs attractive for able-bodied people, in order to give those it is trying to shift from the benefit books a good chance of taking the less physically-active positions that are available in the UK.

At the same time, perhaps the government could engage in what’s known as “tailored job-matching”; assess people on benefits to see what jobs they can do based on their health conditions, and offer desk-based, remote, or flexible roles to those with physical disabilities.

It could also identify roles that suit people with mental health conditions (predictable hours, lower stress environments and so on).

It could also:

• Encourage businesses to hire from this talent pool with wage subsidies or tax breaks.
• Allow people to work part-time without losing all benefits, preventing a “benefits cliff”.
• Provide in-work support, such as mental health resources or disability accommodations.

Even then, there would be problems. Some people on benefits have conditions that make regular work difficult, even in non-physical roles; some businesses might be hesitant to hire workers with complex needs; some jobs require accommodations that not all employers are willing to provide; and training takes time, and it might not immediately reduce migration.

It could work if done properly—with proper training, employer incentives, and flexible work models.

But it should not be a blunt policy forcing people into unsuitable jobs. Instead, it should be a voluntary, well-supported transition for those who can work in some capacity.

My biggest problem with it is that I cannot see how sick and disabled people are going to be able to take up jobs that migrant workers currently have, within the timespan on which Liz Kendall’s benefit changes are supposed to be implemented.

Can you? Am I being overly pessimistic? Or are there other problems as well?

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