Migrant workers leave country
Staff layoffs on British farms
Will British farmers be able to find enough (seasonal) employees in the future? Figures from Google show that Romanians, Bulgarians and Poles have searched less often (-34%) for agricultural jobs in the United Kingdom (UK) in the past year. A major staff shortage is therefore in the air.
The declining interest of guest workers is easy to guess. Due to the approaching Brexit (March 2019), the UK splits from the European Union (EU), so that the free movement of goods and people is no longer a certainty. (Eastern) European labor migrants therefore ignore the UK. Those already working in the UK are increasingly leaving or considering that move.
Problems pile up
A National Pig Association (NPA) survey of UK pig farmers shows that 65% of those surveyed find it increasingly difficult to recruit European workers. This is now that Brexit is imminent. None of the respondents indicated that recruiting employees has become easier. In addition, 1/3 indicated that the foreign staff has already (partly) packed up in the meantime.
Due to the declining interest in working in the British agricultural sector, there is a threat of an increasing staff shortage. This while there is already a drastic shortage of seasonal workers in the UK (-29%). According to Robin Grainger, CEO at GK Strategy (consultant), a workforce crisis in the UK agricultural sector is looming.
Measures
Grainger calls on farmers and advocates to enter into talks with the government in the short term, in order to stop the exodus of migrant workers. In the longer term, a labor migration system must be put in place, bearing in mind that British farmers cannot do without overseas hands.
Wouter Job
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