Have a question?
033 3772 0409

Legal News

UK firms rely on migrant workforce because British teenagers “neglect maths” (29 June 2015)

Date: 29/06/2015
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, UK firms rely on migrant workforce because British teenagers “neglect maths”

The British Academy has said that employers in the UK have no choice but to employ migrant workers because British teenagers “cannot be bothered” to learn mathematics.

The Telegraph reports that a dramatic improvement” in mastering basic maths skills like numeracy is required “to help businesses cope with issues of the day”.

The report also advises that pupils must improve their ability to “number crunch” and handle big data – and UK firms should train their employees in quantitative skills (QS).

The academy also recommends that the government should encourage students to study maths after the age of 16, so that Britain does not fall behind its competitors, including the US.

Figures show the biggest differences between occupations requiring QS and jobs which do not in terms of nationality is higher among younger age groups of workers.

The reports says that nearly one-third of workers aged between 30 and 39 who are in QS occupations were born outside the UK – and of these, just under two-thirds arrived in the UK in the last decade.

Non-EEA nationals in this category also outnumber EEA nationals by two to one.

By contrast, says the report, out of workers in non-QS professional occupations, foreign-born employees comprise just 20% – and a little more than half of these had been in the UK for ten years or more by 2014.

The British Academy researchers warn that the UK risks falling behind in the potential to tap big data – and Britain’s “middling” record in numeracy is leading to skills gaps in the jobs sector and resulting in consumers and UK citizens generally not having the skills to make informed choices.

The British Academy report states:

“A dramatic improvement in the UK population’s mastery of basic numeracy and statistics needs to happen if the country is to take advantage of the data revolution now sweeping the globe.”

Leading statistician and chair of the British Academy project, Dame Jil Matheson, said:

“For our ambition to be fully realised within a generation, we must not underestimate the cultural change that is required – starting now; primarily, but not entirely, with the UK’s education systems.”

Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors

Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors can advise migrants from the EU and non-EU countries on a wide range of immigration matters, including student visas, entrepreneur visas and five-year work permits.

Duncan Lewis is also able to advise on:

• Asylum and asylum appeals
• Fast-track detention
• Human Rights Act
• Illegal entry to the UK
• Marriage in the UK
• Right to work in the UK
• Visa overstays.

For expert legal advice on UK immigration law, call Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors on 020 7923 4020.

Call us now on 033 3772 0409 or click here to send online enquiry.
Duncan Lewis is the trading name of Duncan Lewis (Solicitors) Limited. Registered Office is Spencer House, 29 Grove Hill Road, Harrow, HA1 3BN. Company Reg. No. 3718422. VAT Reg. No. 718729013. A list of the company's Directors is displayed at the registered offices address. Authorised and Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority . Offices all across London and in major cities in the UK. ©Duncan Lewis >>Legal Disclaimer, Copyright & Privacy Policy. Duncan Lewis do not accept service by email.