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The British economy is facing difficult times, according to the industry association
Photo: Gareth Fuller / dpa
The British industry association CBI has called on the government to act in the face of widespread staff shortages.
Otherwise it could take up to two years to fill all the required positions, said CBI Director General Tony Danker.
Not only were there a lack of truck drivers, restaurants, for example, also complain of huge gaps.
Some hotels cannot offer all rooms because there are no laundry staff, and restaurants are forced to choose between opening at lunchtime or in the evening.
The ordering times for kitchens or furniture have doubled, said Danker.
"These bottlenecks are already affecting business operations and will have negative consequences for the UK's economic recovery," said the CBI chief.
Industry association calls for adjustment of the entry laws
Danker said that qualification measures for the most affected industries should be promoted more strongly and the employer's levy, which is used to finance training, should be made more flexible. Finally, the CBI boss demanded an amendment of the strict new immigration laws: The government must use its "immigration lever" to reduce the pressure on companies in the short term. Standing firm and waiting for bottlenecks to resolve on their own is not the way to run an economy.
"Many foreign workers left the UK during the pandemic, affecting industries like hospitality, logistics and food processing, and new immigration rules make it more complex to replace the emigrants," said Danker.
During the pandemic, numerous employees returned home, and new workers are being deterred by the strict Brexit rules with visa regulations.
As a result, there is also a shortage of workers in logistics and food processing.
Supermarket shelves stay empty again and again.
Before the corona pandemic, EU citizens made up more than half of all employees in the catering industry.
British associations had already warned in June that a shortage of truck drivers could lead to supply problems.
The haulage companies lacked more than 60,000 truckers.
hba / dpa
