Business lobby group urges MHKs to back work permit suspension

Non-Manx workers currently require permits to work in certain sectors

Plans to suspend "unnecessary" work permit rules would make it easier for firms to grow, an Isle of Man business lobby group has said.

The government proposal to relax the requirement across all sectors of the labour market will go before Tynwald in November.

The Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce has called on MHKs to back the move as a way of "cutting red tape".

But MHK John Wannenburgh said the rules protected Manx workers' opportunities.

The Douglas North representative said the current system was already "fit for purpose".

Under the current rules, employers who want to hire off-island workers must prove they had not been able to find a Manx worker with the required skills first.

However, some exemptions have already been implemented in areas where staff shortages have been recognised, including nursing, social work, and ICT.

Under the proposed changes, the requirement for permits would be temporarily dropped and replaced with a registration process.

John Wannenburgh said removing the permit system could hinder Manx workers

The proposals were backed by 81% of the 253 respondents in a recent consultation.

The chamber's chief executive Rebecca George said its members saw the system as a "longstanding barrier to growth", and removing the requirement would help firms attract workers with essential skills in areas where there were shortages.

Enterprise Minister Tim Johnston previously said, despite the existing system "working well" for most people, there were "significant perception issues" about work permits.

Questioning why the system would need to be suspended if many firms were not struggling to secure permits, he said relaxing the requirement could set a "dangerous precedent".

The government needed to ensure young people on the island were not "bypassed" when it came to employment opportunities as it could become easier for firms to "import workers rather than train existing ones", he added.

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