Faced with a labor shortage, the United Kingdom will offer 10,500 work visas

The UK transport industry has said it is short up to 100,000 truck drivers to move fuel and food. The shortage is primarily due to an aging workforce and, secondly, to the exodus of foreign workers from the UK following Brexit. In response, the country has changed its immigration policy and is offering 10,500 temporary visas for workers.

The work permits will be valid for three months, between October and December 2021, to address the need for personnel in key sectors of the British economy, such as transport and poultry farming. This represents a shift in the immigration policy of Boris Johnson's government, as the Prime Minister had repeatedly stated that the country should not be dependent on foreign workers.

Other measures taken by the administration include training 4,000 drivers and sending nearly one million letters to encourage licensed truck drivers to return to work. “This administration continues to do everything possible to help the transportation and food industries address the shortage of heavy-duty truck drivers,” Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement.

Ian Wright, director of the Food and Drink Federation, welcomes the decision to include articulated vehicle drivers and poultry workers in the visa scheme. “This is something UK food and drink manufacturers have been asking for over the past few months (…) to alleviate some of the pressure that labor shortages have put on the food supply chain. This is a start, but we need the government to continue working with industry and look for further long-term solutions,” he told CNN.

Source: The Spectator

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