Garth Coates Solicitors, provider of immigration law services, have shared their thoughts on a survey which shows that businesses in the UK are split on whether free movement in the EU is a good or bad thing.

A recently released survey which looked at the attitudes of over 1,200 members of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has discovered that British managers are split on immigration and whether or not we should curb it.

According to the findings, 33% of managers are in favour of limiting free movement of labour within the EU whereas 37%, a slight majority, say they support free movement. In addition, 30% oppose more relaxed visa requirements for skilled migrants and students while 36% support it. 

A number of groups, including the Institute of Directors and the CBI, have expressed their belief in the benefits of migration, highlighting that the findings show a gulf in concern between politicians and business leaders.

Chief executive of the CMI, Ann Francke, said: “It is clear that there is a mismatch between the Westminster village and UK managers. The big question is why, and what do politicians need to do to connect with this significant segment of the elaborate. We must move away from an obsession with short-term priorities and help organisations to be clearer about their purpose, to better support their people and to invest to grow future potential.

The results also shows that the majority of managers in Britain would prefer the government to focus their energies on better training young people as opposed to changing the rules for immigration, with 79% of those surveyed saying they’d back a policy to make sure all young people receive work experience before they’ve completed education.

Garth Coates, an immigration law solicitors who regularly share their thoughts on news and research relevant to their sector, believe the government is out of touch with the business world.

A Garth Coates representative said: “These findings from the CMI show what we’ve felt for a while, that being that many politicians are misjudging the concerns that business owners and managers have. The reality is that for most business, training and education is a much more pressing issue than immigration. More than that, there are more managers out there who are in favour of the free movement of labour within the EU than those opposed to it because the majority of businesses are benefitting already from migration.”

Garth Coates Solicitors are a London-based immigration and nationality law specialists. Visit their website at www.garthcoates.com for more info.