The last couple of years has in no doubt been a challenging time in the UK – with the Covid pandemic and also Brexit. One major area that has been particularly impacted is the UK labour market.
As reported by Euro News, there are labour and/or skill shortages in sectors such as hospitality, horticulture, meat and dairy, lorry drivers and social care. IT has also been struggling to attract UK based workers. This has made it challenging for businesses to keep up with customer demand and in some cases keep their businesses afloat.
According to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, at the end of 2021, they found that:
- 88% of recruiters said that labour shortages were their biggest concern. This is around nine in ten recruiters.
- Their second largest concern was skill shortages (65%). This is around two in three recruiters.
Many of the industries above have relied heavily on workers coming from abroad and this has been one of the major factors that has contributed to these shortages.
Shaw Trust is at the heart of tackling the shortages in these areas. With our employability programmes, which are immediately available, we are at the forefront of helping people get back into employment. Understanding what the labour market needs is an important part of this process and helps with getting the right people into the right jobs.
The government has added some of these sectors to the Shortage Occupation List for workers coming from abroad to apply for visas to work in these sectors within the UK. Whilst this has been welcomed, it may only be a short term solution. At Shaw Trust we are looking at the long term and helping employers find the talent needed to help with current shortages.
Please email us at employers@shaw-trust.org.uk to find out how we can support your business with recruitment.
Written by Jags Lota, Marketing Content Officer at Shaw Trust.