The harvest is in full swing. Ho Ellie Kapper, who owns a farm in Herefordshire, is very disappointed. According to Ellie, the industry lacks about a third of the staff, and the fruits are rotting due to lack of staff.
“Ukrainians, Italians, Romanians, Bulgarians are very friendly and hardworking.”
“We announced that we were looking for 73 workers to harvest. Nine people applied, but only one woman was left free. Eventually, she started working elsewhere,” said Ellie Kapper, adding: “They failed to hire him. “We now have Poles, Romanians, Bulgarians, Russians and Ukrainians working through intermediaries – very friendly and hard-working seasonal workers. There are not as many of them as we would like, but at least we will be able to handle the harvest.” . The British government has issued an additional 30,000 visas for foreign workers working in the sector. According to Ellie Kapper, this is too little.
“British jobs for the British” was one of the slogans that played an important role in the post-Brexit debate. But the reality after Brexit is quite different.
Daniel Brown, who offers laundry services to London hotels, also suffers from an acute shortage of staff. Brown previously had 60 clients, but he had to terminate contracts with some of them because he lacked at least 30 employees. The reason is not in the salary – in the summer months the average weekly salary increased by more than 8% compared to the same period last year.
“We can’t find staff,” Brown said, adding: “Brexit doesn’t have enough people interested in doing that.” Previously, the maid at the hotel received 9 pounds per hour. Today they offer 15 pounds, but no one wants.
In the UK, recovery from a pandemic is faster than in Germany. This also means a record labor shortage: more than 1 million employees and workers have been urgently needed in the last three months. After a record increase in August, the number of employees in the UK now exceeds the pre-pandemic level. According to the National Statistics Office (ONS), in August this number reached 29.1 million people, and unemployment fell to 4.6%. According to experts, labor shortages are accelerating wage growth.
100,000 drivers are needed
The shortage of drivers is particularly acute, as there are serious delays in a number of sectors. According to the carriers’ association, another 100,000 drivers are currently needed. And they warn that if the problem is not solved, it could lead to rising prices and severe inflation. Therefore, the industry insists on issuing special visas for foreign workers.
We sacrificed a well-functioning economy for no good reason, ”says Ellie Kapper. However, now immigration policy is determined solely by ideological considerations. “