It is no doubt that there is a growing shortage in human resources in many developed countries and the task of filling jobs has been upscale and of top priority.

Currently, the UK is struggling to fill positions in various industries since voting to leave the EU. Being no longer a part of the EU has left a huge shortage of skilled, highly educated workforce, and hence encouraging graduates to stay and work
serves the country’s economic interests which will work as a win-win situation for the government. The country is in need of workers across a range of professions such as key workers, hospitality, veterinarians, doctors, scientist, architects, artists,
and more.

There has never been a scenario of this kind forcing Britain to accept that migrants are the economic lifeblood bringing in energy and ideas to boost economies. This certainly has been a requirement of these times as it will help rebuild after the ravages of the pandemic just like the world wars when the country saw people pouring in from all corners of the globe that assisted in the country’s recovery.

Why India?
India is touted to be one of the most promising nations with massive potential of its working-age population and a GDP of 2.6 trillion. As per the current world statistics India is set to be the world’s third-largest economy by the year 2050. This surely means that India has a good population of a younger workforce who are ready to usher onto the international platforms.

In the UK, there is a large Indian diaspora mostly because of historic colonial links between Britain and India. If one has to go back to the statistics of the 2011 census there were more than 1.4 million people of Indian origin in the UK and it is a safe assumption that the numbers must have increased manifold by now.

So, why is the UK keen to win back Indian migrants and make condusive immigration policies from time to time? One of the major reasons is that India does not have bilateral trade deals with either the US or the European Union (EU), presenting post-Brexit Britain with a very valid opportunity to get in there first.

That’s not all, India is touted to be a world leader by 2050 and a free trade agreement with the country will open up huge opportunities for UK businesses to trade with India’s 2.6 Trillion economy. Hence the Government of UK backed by its ministers strongly believes that a trade deal with Delhi would provide British businesses with a much-needed head start.

A step further to this was when UK and India signed the new migration partnership on May 21 aiming to take a major leap in the UK’s bilateral relationship with India. The agreement is meant to permit several 18-30-year-olds to work and live in each other’s country for up to two years.

Referring to the most recent statistics it has been learned that around 98,000 Indian students came to the UK to study last year which is up 90% from the previous year. This is an outstanding number and in addition to this, the new post-study Graduate Route offers eligible graduates 2-3 years to stay back after studies in the UK – opened for applications in July 2021, offering yet another route for talented young Indians to build careers and experience in the UK.

Indian citizens have been the largest cohort of non-EU immigrants and despite the pandemic, Indians were granted more sponsored skilled-worker visas than any other group, and typically, recent migrants occupy highly paid roles in the UK. Not surprising that Healthcare has been and will always be the main sector that attracted Indian migration with more than 32,000 Indians as of September 2021 making Indians the largest foreign group working in the NHS after British Nationals. Even currently the UK still faces a severe shortage of staff.

Summary: With the exit from the EU and with growing shortages of Human Resources post covid it would be a huge risk for the UK to stand alone and hence it is imperative to say that the country needs to throw open the welcome gates to migrants more than ever before. India seems to be the definite choice and working closely with India may be mutually beneficial for both nations.