UK worker shortages could cancel Christmas. Brexit isn’t helping

McDonald’s (“The shortages consumers are seeing from the likes of Nando’s and McDonald’s in recent days and weeks highlight the immense impact this [truck driver shortage] is having on businesses,” Walker said in a statement. “The real worry is that time is quickly running out as we approach the extremely busy Christmas period, during which a strong supply chain is vital for everyone.”Other grocery chains are in a similar position. Supermarket giant Tesco (But that may not attract enough workers in a labor market with a record 1 million job openings and an unemployment rate under 5%. Walker, from the supermarket Iceland, said the government has made the truck driver shortage worse by leaving the profession off a “skilled worker” list that would allow for more immigration.”This is caused by the government’s failure to appreciate the importance of [truck] drivers and the work they do for us. But even if they were immediately added, it would take four to six weeks because they need to get a right to work [document] and have a PCR [coronavirus] test, a place to live — they need to be recruited. So it’s not a light switch that will happen overnight,” he told BBC Radio.Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, has called on the government to rapidly increase the number of driving tests taking place for truck drivers, provide temporary visas to EU workers and change how driver training is funded.Griffiths, from the British Poultry Council, said the government should also extend a program for seasonal agricultural workers to the meat sector.”Our asks are clear and they provide government a way out of this problem. If that means relaxing immigration rules or accepting regulatory alignment with the EU, then these are the steps that must be taken to put British food on the road to recovery,” he said.The UK government has announced some measures to increase the number of driving tests for truck drivers. But a spokesperson for the government said that “most of the solutions” will be driven by industry.”We want to see employers make long term investments in the UK domestic workforce instead of relying on labor from abroad and our Plan for Jobs is helping people across the country retrain, build new skills and get back into work,” the spokesperson added.