The staffing crisis could worsen this winter if the government refuses to allow more workers from the European Union to enter the UK, business leaders have warned.
Ministers have been urged to relax post-Brexit immigration rules following a dramatic fall in the number of EU workers arriving in the UK since the start of the pandemic and the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
According to analysis of Office for National Statistics figures by the Guardian, the number of Romanian and Bulgarian workers in the UK as fallen by almost 90,000, or 24%, since the end of 2019.
Staff from eight Eastern European nations including Poland and the Czech Republic have plunged by more than 100,000, or 12%.
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CBI director-general Tony Danker told the Guardian that staff shortages were hampering the UK’s economic recovery and immigration rules needed to change to give employers access to the skills they need.
“The government needs to take a sector view of the challenges and identify solutions that can have an impact quickly. That could mean being agile in the way we use our immigration system to bring in fixed term visas for shortage occupations,” he said.
The UK is experiencing a shortfall of lorry drivers in particular, which has forced organisations including Tesco and John Lewis to offer bonuses to drivers who accept roles with them, and Aldi to increase drivers’ wages, in an attempt to lure staff from rivals.
Rod McKenzie, managing director of policy and public affairs at the Road Haulage Association, said: “It’s frustrating that the government is so inactive on this issue.
“We need oven-ready lorry drivers right here right now. We think there should be short-term visas for Europeans or drivers from anywhere else to come in and help out for three to six months.”
The government has attempted to solve the problem by increasing HGV driver testing capacity and relaxing rules around drivers’ maximum hours, but these have so far done little to address the issue.
The Home Office has said employers should “invest in our domestic workforce instead of relying on labour from abroad”.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation has also warned that staff shortages were likely to persist as demand for workers remained high.
Employers’ intentions to hire new permanent and temporary staff over the next three months remained stable at net +22 and net +26 respectively, the REC’s latest Jobs Outlook survey showed.
Chief executive Neil Carberry said: “Even with a large number of people coming off furlough in August and September, it’s likely that high demand for workers will continue to cause shortages through the autumn. There will be particular pressures in logistics, food manufacturing and hospitality as we gear up for Christmas, and hiring for this period has already started.”
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