OT Shortage of lorry drivers? What is to blame?

[KerrAvon]

Exactly. It was argued on this board many times that if we go through with a hard Brexit, then we would have to find a way of plugging the job and skills gaps that are left through the EU workers that choose to leave and not come back. And if that involved a big re-training programme and improved pay and conditions for UK nationals, that wouldn't be a bad thing at all. I'd have voted leave myself if I thought that the Leave leaders had any interest in that happening. But it was never going to happen so here we are.

Wait until the gaps in health and social care start biting.

Are you saying that pay and conditions aren't improving? I listened to an article on Radio 4 the other day (the BBC, so either Marxist or Fascist, depending upon the politics of the person making the judgement) in which a manager of a recruitment agency said that he now has driving jobs on his books that pay £450 per day, which he said equates to in excess of £100k pa (I haven't checked the maths). He further stated that the going rate for driving has risen by in excess of 50% since January 2019. Even if there is some exaggeration there, that is impressive and will serve to both bring drivers out of retirement and encourage new joiners.

It's more than a little arrogant to suggest that Leave leaders had no interest in such things. They simply held a a different view of where the country should be in relation to Europe to that held by Remainers. As the squeeze on the availability of labour would inevitably mean an increase in wages, it is just ridiculous to suggest that was something that Leavers - leaders or otherwise - were not engaged with.

Hell, even The Spectator ran an article last week in which they noted - with approval - the rise in wages in this country. That in part is the point I made earlier concerning the position that the Left (which I would associate with the Labour Party for anyone struggling with the term) and Right (associated with the Tories) have found themselves in - seemingly arguing against their traditional positions.

[ragingpup]

Are you saying that pay and conditions aren't improving? I listened to an article on Radio 4 the other day (the BBC so either Marxist or Fascist, depending upon the politics of the person making the judgement) in which a manager of a recruitment agency said that he now has driving jobs on his books that pay £450 per day, which he said equates to in excess of £100k pa (I haven't checked the maths). He further stated that the going rate for driving has risen by in excess of 50% since January 2019. Even if there is some exaggeration there, that is impressive and will serve to both bring drivers out of retirement and encourage new joiners.

It's more than a little arrogant to suggest that Leave leaders had no interest in such things. They simply held a a different view of where the country should be in relation to Europe to that held by Remainers. As the squeeze on the availability of labour would inevitably mean an increase in wages, it is just ridiculous to suggest that was something that Leavers - leaders or otherwise - were not engaged with.

If the view of your recruitment manager interviewed is true and we have a good and long term solution by improving pay and conditions of UK workers recruited to fill the skills gaps in the UK, in haulage hospitality, h&sc etc, , then that would be brilliant and I'd say that brexit was a success. Early days but I'm not sure I share your optimism. I applaud your optimism that the Brexit leaders were engaged with the problem of filling the skills gaps domestically, but why do you think, 5 years on from the vote this problem wasn't planned for by this brexit government? Shouldn't we be seeing recruitment drives domestically in these key areas as well as haulage?