Why football clubs and business leaders are in agreement over the importance of immigration
The SNP should listen to business leaders’ ideas about how to attract skilled workers to Scotland
Take a look at the squads of most Scottish Premiership clubs and you will soon learn something that may, to the uninitiated, seem odd, concerning or even outrageous – many of the players are not Scottish or even British.
There are players from countries including Japan, Nigeria, Finland, Tunisia, Albania, Brazil, Greece, Gambia, France, Zambia and more. So it’s fair to say, in the highly competitive world of professional football, clubs have realised the importance of migrant workers to their fortunes.
Some would argue that clubs should be doing more to bring through young Scottish talent, not least to help the national team compete on the world stage. Few would disagree. However, we suspect an equally small number of fans would support a quota system or a ban on foreign players, given the damaging effect this would have on their side’s ability to compete in European tournaments.
‘Internationally mobile talent’
While the lack of set-piece encounters and league tables in the world of business makes the competition less obvious, it is every bit as fierce as on the football pitch. Businesses need to be able to attract talent not just from these shores but from far and wide.
Writing for us today, Sandy Begbie, chief executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise, urges the Scottish Government to take steps to improve economic growth in next month’s Budget.
He makes a number of suggestions about how to do this, including the idea of introducing different income tax rates for “internationally mobile talent” in order to “send an important signal that Scotland is competing to attract skills and investment”. In other words, to let the world know that Scotland wants migrants, and is not trying to discourage them.
Prioritise economic growth
Clearly, many people seem discontented about life in this country, largely due to the cost of living, the lacklustre economy and struggling public services, particularly the NHS. Some blame migrants for their woes, appearing to believe that if only we had ‘net-zero’ migration, things would be better.
However, pandering to such misguided sentiments by restricting migration still further will only damage the economy and increase the general sense of discontent, which ironically may benefit politicians who talk tough on this issue.
Despite the rise of Reform UK, both the SNP and Labour governments must listen to business voices, prioritise economic growth and speak up for the migrants whose talents we desperately need – and not just on the football pitch.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.