More help for firms to fill job vacancies
THE States has made more temporary changes to population rules in a bid to help businesses struggling to recruit staff.
Changes introduced earlier this year, to allow the employment permit extension policy to be increased to seven years from the previous maximum of five, and to allow individuals on a nine months on, three months off pattern approaching their three-month break to be allowed to remain in Guernsey without being deemed to have broken that pattern, are now being extended until the end of 2022.
The Home Affairs Committee has now also waived the fee for new arrivals coming to the island to work on a short-term employment permit.
Currently they have to pay £120 per application. Again this will apply until the end of 2022.
Home Affairs president Rob Prow said his committee wanted to support businesses by reviewing regularly
the policies that form the population management regime to ensure there is as much flexibility for employers and their staff as possible.
‘We know that recruitment is challenging at the moment, due to the pandemic but also because of the impact of Brexit in ways outside our island’s control,’ he said.
‘If possible, we want businesses to keep good quality staff who in turn want to remain in the island.
‘Allowing employment permits to be extended up to seven years should help.
‘Likewise, although we have deviated from the UK’s points-based system for EU nationals, we cannot influence things like the UK’s EU visa arrangements, but we can control our charges for employment permits.
'So waiving the cost of these for new arrivals coming in on short-term employment permits should hopefully be welcome news for employers seeking to bring new staff to the island.’
