Brexit and pandemic: Britain is short of workers

The British economy is feeling the consequences of Brexit and the Corona crisis. There is an urgent need for workers in the construction, food and other industries. There is a shortage of 60,000 truck drivers alone.

Corona pandemic and Brexit: This twin pack has led to an acute labor shortage in Great Britain. The hospitality and construction industries, healthcare, the food industry and the logistics sector are particularly affected.

For example, the number of truck drivers from the EU has shrunk by around 15,000 since Brexit, while thousands of tests for new drivers had to be postponed due to the pandemic. According to the Road Haulage Association, the association for road haulage, a total of around 60,000 truck drivers are currently missing. Like the logistics association Logistics UK, the association is demanding temporary visas for truck drivers, combined with a warning that otherwise supply chains could collapse.

Call for relaxation of immigration regulations

The industry association CBI appeals to the British government to relax the immigration regulations that have been in place since Brexit. According to the CBI, the list of so-called shortage occupations, for which lower immigration barriers apply in the immigration rules that have been in force since January, should be expanded immediately, for example to include butchers, masons and welders. If the government fails to act, it will jeopardize post-pandemic economic recovery, the CBI warns. In addition, several industry associations are calling for visa simplifications, including for unskilled workers.

The labor shortage has various causes. On the one hand, employees changed jobs during the Corona crisis or left the job market entirely and decided on training or further education. On the other hand, in the wake of Brexit and the corona pandemic, many foreign workers have returned to their home countries and are not coming back now.