Why are butchers and bakers no longer classified as 'skilled' jobs?

Friday 14 July 2023

A post-Brexit decision to remove a "long list" of roles from the official register of 'skilled' jobs eligible for work permits is causing "huge barriers to business" and needs to be reversed, the island's hospitality sector is arguing.

The Jersey Hospitality Association argues that professions such as ‘baker’, ‘butcher’ and ‘laundry worker’ are no longer not eligible for a ‘skilled’ work permit – making it far more difficult for its members to recruit in these areas.

"Huge barriers to business" 

The JHA is calling on the Jersey list, which is set out in a work permit policy published by Customs and Immigration in April, to mirror the UK’s version, which the association argues contains more roles.

Making a submission to a Scrutiny panel looking into the welfare of work permit holders, the JHA state: “The JHA has been advised that during/after the Brexit negotiations, Customs and Immigration has taken the active decision to remove a long list of approved 'Skilled Work' job roles from Jersey’s approved list vs the UK one that’s already in place. 

“The removal of such UK-approved job roles limits our island’s hospitality industry beyond the impacts of Brexit and causes huge barriers to business and our members. 

“Such roles as bakers, butchers, cleaners, laundry workers and recreational boat captains etc."

Forced to make "special case applications"

The submission continued: “In order for these roles to now be approved by our Immigration Department, our members are resorted to submit rigorous ‘special case applications’ with set conditions to put their case forward why a business needs this exception to be made."

“Not only this, but in some situations our members are being told that their business or the job which they are applying for ‘isn’t part of hospitality’ by Immigration officers. 

“This is despite being registered as a hospitality business, serving the visitor economy daily and being part of the Hospitality Association.”

Calls to reverse change

The JHA said it is calling for the full UK list to apply in Jersey and it is updated at the same time.

Pictured: Since Brexit, far more immigrants require a permit to work in the island.

The ad hoc Scrutiny panel, which is chaired by Deputy Beatriz Porée is expected to publish its findings and recommendations soon. 

It was set up to examine the effectiveness of the Work Permit Policy and whether it provides adequate protection to workers from possible exploitation and modern-day slavery.

The island has always issued work permits but far more are now being issued, since the Island fully left the EU following Brexit. This meant the EU nationals no longer had the automatic right to work in the island. 

As a consequence, Jersey is now recruiting across the world into sectors such as hospitality, agriculture, construction and healthcare.

The JHA is also calling on the scrapping of a rule which states that people holding a one-year rolling ‘non-skilled’ work permit should have to leave the island, once it expires, for the same length of time as they were working in Jersey, which could be up to three years.

The association wants that 'must be out of the island' period to be three months, which is the same for workers on a nine-month permit.