Obstacles to hiring in the UK are diverse and pervasive. From Covid-19 and Brexit to supply chain disruptions and an exodus of European Union workers, the challenges are many. Add in the staffing shortages that many other parts of the globe are experiencing also, and UK businesses are facing a mountain to climb.
Redwigwam, a UK authority on flexible work, recently conducted research to evaluate the problems impacting worker shortages and hiring alternatives, the results of which may astound you. Here are some of its findings, as discussed in a whitepaper based on the research:
According to the research, 82% of workers are looking to improve their workplace skills as the Covid-19 lockdown measures ease. Meanwhile, businesses must react quicker to staffing shortages as the UK exits the pandemic. But shortages are not going away anytime soon. This will lead to businesses needing to offer added worker incentives to compete with 1.9 million open positions. Flexible work must also play a role for recruiters when hiring qualified candidates.
And while staffing shortages are often identified as one of the worst problems businesses face, it can vary by industry. The whitepaper reviews challenges in six diverse UK industries.
Retail. After the pandemic, retailers are resuming strong, regular business as Covid-19 restrictions cease, but challenges include:
- The loss of 89,000 jobs in Quarter 2, 2021, compared to the same period in 2020.
Cleaning. The cleaning industry also suffers from staff shortages, including:
- High demand for domestic help.
- Multi-faceted hiring problems.
- Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) shows 1.66 million active unfilled for a week in August 2021.
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Hospitality. Hospitality is impacted thousands of EU workers leaving due to Brexit, and this includes:
- Hospitality Hiring Insider Report found 93,000 EU nationals left the UK since the pandemic.
- The Insider provided additional information based on a survey of 250 hospitality employers.
Trucking. Supply chain problems exist due to a chronic shortage of lorry drivers. Other details include:
- The truck driver shortage is estimated to be about 100,000 workers.
- System is compounded by pandemic, tax changes, Brexit, and an aging workforce.
Warehousing and Logistics. This industry is an accurate forecaster for the UK economy. Recent details include:
- The last few years have been very profitable.
- Sizeable sheds and lockups continue to grow in numbers and size.
- The pandemic provides increased demand for warehouse space.
- Industry revenue growth shows an annual rate of 1.8% to £19.6 billion.
Food Production and Manufacturing. Food production and manufacturing have problems in the UK:
- The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) producers lost £2 billion in sales.
- This loss was not compensated by increased sales from non-EU countries, including China and Australia.
Redwigwam’s new whitepaper will address these issues and more, as well as the advantages of flexible work. Recruiters will gain insight on hiring successfully and address new opportunities.
We hope you enjoy it, and we hope hiring managers and specialists find new approaches to traditional hiring.
