Now that is it out of the EU, the UK is shutting down low-skill immigration (a boon to the rich; a bane to the working class). If you’ve been feeling like a failure for having a Ph.D. rather than a useful M.D. (see “Women in Science”), the new UK system will cheer you up!
From “The UK’s points-based immigration system: policy statement”:
We are ending free movement and will introduce an Immigration Bill to bring in a firm and fair points-based system that will attract the high-skilled workers we need to contribute to our economy, our communities and our public services. We intend to create a high wage, high-skill, high productivity economy.
We will reduce overall levels of migration and give top priority to those with the highest skills and the greatest talents: scientists, engineers, academics and other highly-skilled workers. Importantly we remain committed to protecting individuals from exploitation by criminal traffickers and unscrupulous employers.
We will replace free movement with the UK’s points-based system to cater for the most highly skilled workers, skilled workers, students and a range of other specialist work routes including routes for global leaders and innovators.
We will not introduce a general low-skilled or temporary work route. We need to shift the focus of our economy away from a reliance on cheap labour from Europe and instead concentrate on investment in technology and automation. Employers will need to adjust.
People will need 70 points to begin an application process. 20 of those can come from having a STEM PhD:
Separately, do the Republicans need some pitches like this one? Republicans say that they would be popular with Americans if not for Donald Trump, but wasn’t Trump the guy who brought out voters in 2016? Now Republicans have failed to win even a single Senate seat in Georgia, a fairly conservative state. Imagine if Republicans could explain in a clear manner what their proposed policies were designed to accomplish and how it would benefit the American working class, small business owners, and everyone else who isn’t securely on a local, state, or federal government gravy train.
Related:
Immigrants to the UK significantly outperform the natives, whether low- or high-skilled, but the UK no longer has the option to ship troublesome wastrels to Australia.
The idea that the Polish plumbers or electricians who keep this country running are not “skilled” is just upper-class snobbishness that only values book learning and to quote Dan Wang on China, “With its emphasis on manufacturing, it cannot be like the UK, which is so successful in the sounding-clever industries—television, journalism, finance, and universities—while seeing a falling share of R&D intensity and a global loss of standing among its largest firms.”
https://danwang.co/2020-letter/
https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/work-pay-and-benefits/pay-and-income/average-hourly-pay/latest shows “Pakistani, Bangladeshi” earning at 80% of the rate of “White British” in 2018 and “Black” workers were earning at 90% of the “White British” rate.
The option of transportation (not in the sense that Google understands it – a light rail system, eg) hasn’t been available for 150 years.
With 1.4 billion people to choose from, China has plenty of scope to operate in the “sounding-clever industries” (is that a clock I hear or a clip-streaming site?), and no doubt will increasingly do so in spite of one-party tyranny.
The “ethnic” categories “Pakistani, Bangladeshi” and “Black” include a lot more British-born people than immigrants (Ethnicity X in Britain, British in country X).
However, it’s entirely plausible that the quoted differences in average wages are down to immigrants who have (for whatever reason) failed to achieve adequate English and are easy to exploit in the black economy .
Since 2018, driving for Uber may well have become their #1 employment option, though arguably not much less exploitative; sadly, little evidence of taking up trades, like plumbing, that attract above-average wages.
With some slight modifications it looks like that could be expanded to a Comprehensive Citizen Point score system.