Staff Shortages

Aftermath of covid. And of course a lot of foreign workers have left here or don’t want to work here. Especially in hotels and pub trade.

And where are the workers who were laid off “due to Covid”? They can’t all be foreign workers returned home, can they?

Well the airlines didn’t bother with furlough and sacked staff - staff found jobs elsewhere or went back to the EU. Now they are offering worse pay and conditions - surprise surprise they don’t want to come back.

Airlines at fault. It's not as if they didn't know this would happen. So many just laid off staff who then went to get other jobs.

The airlines are also doing the over-booking think that can cause. One woman local to me had actually made it on to the plane with her son and she had to leave the plane due to their being no room.

Also there are people wanting to take up positions but they have to go through security checks which take at least 5 weeks.

Very sad for those looking forward to a getaway.

It will get sorted sooner or later which is little solace to those stuck now.

More due to Covid.
We are on holiday in Ibiza and a lady I’ve become friendly with over the years who owns a small boutique told me yesterday that many bars, hotels and restaurants are struggling here to recruit staff ‘after the pandemic’. She should know!

The airlines are at fault for not recruiting staff in time for the School breaks, because, surprise! It gets busy and they didn’t seem to realise it. They have had plenty of time. Ditto the Airports they have had time to recruit staff and haven’t.

Companies who haven’t got staff to take phone calls still have staff working from home ‘ due to the current situation ‘ what situation? Many of them have also given up renting office space for the staff to go back to, so they will continue working from home and we will have to put up with it or just keep complaining.
Banks have closed their local branches, shops have closed and when we went shopping last week, many items were ‘unavailable’ so we came home, ordered it all online and it arrived the next day.

Builder won’t work in your home because they are busy on the thousands of building sites ( certainly around our area) and are making good money while they can.

Goodness knows why we can’t get to see a Doctor, although we have thousands of new houses being built all around us and no extra Surgeries or Doctors to cope with them.

Restaurants are still having to cope with staff sickness due to Covid as indeed are all Workplaces and that will continue to be a problem for who knows how long.

I’m sure that if it wasn’t for Covid we all would be in a better situation.

However the Government seems to have found the necessary staff and money for the Bank Holiday Celebrations.

It always surprises me how unprepared organisations and governments are for the next step after a big change or crisis. Do none of them look beyond tomorrow, and have plans A and B or C ready to put in place?
Of course covid is mainly to blame, but the aftermath needs sorting fast.

However the Government seems to have found the necessary staff and money for the Bank Holiday Celebrations.

Governments can always find the money to do what they want to do. They are the issuer of money.
It costs them, and us, absolutely nothing.

It's time people woke up to this fact and started voting for governments that will create & spend money the way that voters want...

MaizieD

^However the Government seems to have found the necessary staff and money for the Bank Holiday Celebrations.^

Governments can always find the money to do what they want to do. They are the issuer of money.
It costs them, and us, absolutely nothing.

It's time people woke up to this fact and started voting for governments that will create & spend money the way that voters want...

At least they’ve been forced into making provision for rising energy bills.

With regard to the staff shortages people have voted with their feet not to return to their previous employment. When employers reduced their pay and conditions, they failed to factor in the difficulties of post Brexit/Covid recruitment. It’s the free market at work.

Having said that, I’d much prefer a mixed market with more regulation and government spending aimed at bringing our public services back to the levels at least 2010.

I feel quite sad for all those hoping to travel over the bank holiday and facing massive disruption.

I see that most of our immigrants are now being drawn from India and Nigeria according to the FT.

They won’t be unskilled baggage handlers though.

I’m sure I read that vacancies currently exceed the unemployment rate, so something has to give. When the recession bites in the autumn, lots of hospitality and travel staff will no doubt be made redundant, and we will return to an uneasy equilibrium. I don’t blame people for not wanting to remain in low paid jobs in these sectors, as they don’t earn enough to live on why would they?

Tobias Ellwood’s suggestion that shows the first bit of common sense and sanity from the Tories would resolve the issue at a stroke.

Let’s hope the flicker turns into a fire.

In the 90's I worked as a seasonal temp in airport security. It was a highly trained, respected, sometimes mind numbingly boring but reasonably well paid position with salary adjustments reflecting unsociable hours. The same job is advertised locally today with a flat hourly rate of just over £12 per hour regardless of shift pattern. No wonder they can't recruit.

Here are the relevant figures.
www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/jobsandvacanciesintheuk/may2022
One part of the answer would be for all we Gransnetters who are under the official retirement age to go back to work in minimum wage or slightly above it roles to help out the economy. Anybody up for that?

It's interesting that when the poster lists a mass of industries affected by staff shortages and a reply comes back: It's the airlines' fault. Don't think they had too much to do with pigs!?!
Covid has obviously had a huge impact nationally and internationally. One reason is that people close to retirement decided not to return to work. But the impact of Brexit cannot be ignored.
Ask any restaurateur, hoteliers, care home operator, farmer or abattoir owner to name just a few challenged industries. Britain relied on foreign, cheaper, hardworking Europeans for years. These workers have gone, not to return. Witness for example the abortive schemes to 'allow' workers back on short-term contracts!
Covid might a contributory factor but these staff shortages were anticipated for years and this government did nothing to prepare for it - nor do I see much being done now!

A party that was happy to decimate the North East, without putting any other plans in place, leaving generation after generation condemned to unemployment (while castigating them for being scroungers and lazy) is not going to think for a moment about mitigating the effects of Brexit.

The airport problems are partly down to the work being contracted out to agencies, who pay miniscule wages.

I do some teaching work for agencies like this. They advertise for post graduate trained teachers, with areas of specialism, must have X years of experience, be prepared to hit the ground running, excellent behaviour control, take on planning and marking, blah blah blah, and offer £15 an hour. Oh, and ready to start immediately. Idiots.

4 years ago, the last time we were back in the UK I was astounded at the number of young foreigners working at Stansted and Liverpool Street advising people on which coach to get and from which stand. They were polite and helpful and spoke English well. They will ave returned to their home countries.

My BIL was in a nursing home in Kent owned and run by Spaniards. Most of the staff working in it were Europeans. Before being in the nursing home he had a carer one day per week in order to give my SIL some respite. He was Polish.

These people also returned to their home countries.

None of the above was because of covid.

As an employer, I have found that if you pay well (above the going rate) and offer good working conditions for whatever position, you attract diligent employees.

If you then go on to give them appropriate training and make it clear what you expect from them, treat them with respect and understanding they will not be in a hurry to leave your employment.

The above seems to be an anathema to some of the bigger companies.

I live near one of the struggling airports and haven't seen any jobs advertised for it. The job centre just has posters up about what to do if you are sleeping rough/have your benefit sanctioned/require a food banks. I don't see any jobs in the window ever

GrannyGravy13

As an employer, I have found that if you pay well (above the going rate) and offer good working conditions for whatever position, you attract diligent employees.

If you then go on to give them appropriate training and make it clear what you expect from them, treat them with respect and understanding they will not be in a hurry to leave your employment.

The above seems to be an anathema to some of the bigger companies.

and ime even smaller/family companies can be the same.

I am glad you are a good/common sense employer though

Friends in Australia for 2 months are encountering similar shortages. Flights, trains, restaurants and taxi’s all short of staff.

Keswick is full of jobs in the shops and cafes. Some restaurants are shutting because they can't get staff. A new Premier Inn is being built with 70 rooms. I have no idea how they will staff it. Hopefully they will lay on transport and bring people in from the west coast such as Maryport, where there are very few jobs.

Our very popular local cafe/restaurant cannot get staff. They have been struggling for months to get a chef, and have just announced they can no longer do the evening specials.

We worry about the service industry, but what about our veg and fruit pickers? What a disaster.