Immigration policy must not “act as a roadblock” to accessing vital digital skills as the UK heads towards its modern Industrial Strategy plan, according to Ben Bilsland, head of the technology industry at professional service group RSM UK.
Bilsland said that while government efforts to support the tech sector are promising, including funding boosts for DSIT’s AI Opportunities Action Plan and its 7.5 million worker upskilling pledge, the UK’s route to upcoming new Industrial Strategy is still plagued with challenges.
“Currently, labour shortages, poor connectivity and economic uncertainty are stifling growth in the sector,” said Bilsland.
“Talent is particularly key, as a diverse workforce with a range of skills is a proven component of a thriving, innovative tech ecosystem.
“Immigration policy forms part of this puzzle, so must not act as a roadblock in accessing the necessary skills to encourage further development of groundbreaking tech companies in the UK.”
Research published last year by the Entrepreneur’s Network found that over a third of the UK’s top 100 fastest-growing companies have a founder born outside of Britain, despite immigrants making up less than 15% of the total UK population.
Bilsland also urged the government to not fall short on its pledge to back digital infrastructure, particularly in the form of data centres.
“Increasing use of AI is expected to require increasing amounts of computing power in the background if we are to see the benefits to productivity across the broader economy.”
The aforementioned AI Opportunities Action Plan included references to supporting the UK’s compute infrastructure through state-owned facilities, encouraging more privately owned data centres to be made in the UK and through international compute partnerships.
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