Staff shortages are now a national crisis

[Confusedofbritain]

Staff shortages across many sectors is now a national crisis surely? I’ve given up expecting anything of this government, but why isn’t Labour beating them with a stick over this?

Some examples which affect me personally….

• Can’t go on holiday due to cancelled flight, cause by lack of ground staff.
• I work for NHS trust and we have closed a ward due to c 50% vacancies. We have plenty of money but can’t spend it. Now competing with other trusts paying increasingly high golden handshakes.
• Tried to book restaurant for Tuesday birthday. Not possible as all places shut Monday and Tuesday due to short staff (esp chefs).
• Poor service when we do go out. Staff look frazzled.
• Can’t get a builder to do an extension. Often not bothering to quote. Builder friend can’t keep labourers and brickies. Paying increasingly high wages but getting poached.
• Window fitter quoted me 2x higher than 2019 (for a much smaller window!) probably because they’re so busy and can’t increase capacity due to lack of staff. So prices have gone up by 100%.
• Long delay in discharge for father from hospital, due to long waits for care package (caused by staff shortages). He was in hospital a lot longer than necessary and declined hugely as result.

It’s largely caused by Brexit, partly people retiring or changing livelihood during Covid…:.but why wasn’t this anticipated and what are we doing about it?

I want to see posters EVERYWHERE encouraging people to consider NHS careers. It’s a rewarding career, but impossible to cope and keep going with so few staff. We are escalating to NHS England constantly, saying we need a national solution. It’s beyond critical, but I’m not confident that there is a national drive to sort this out.

The economic and social consequences of ignoring this massive structural issue will be disastrous!

They just said they "salute Brexit" and you're actually trying to discuss facts and evidence with them? Good luck.

@ChardonnaysBeastlyCat if the issue is UC, how do you explain thatyou have more job available than peole available to fill those places??

Even wo UC (and assuming the people looking for a job have all the exact right cometences) there would still be some gaps.

Have you actually seen rental prices in London swayingpalmtrees My DD who is on £50k as a single woman, has barely anything left after she's paid her rent. So how the hell is someone on £10.50 an hour going to manage. No wonder there are vacancies

The market will need to sort itself out

I understand that America is having similar issues, people are starting to reject purchasing homes with pools due energy costs and lack of availability to chemicals that keep them clear.

I actually personally think we will start to see what they are now, and that is companies reducing over time and new recruits as they cut costs to fund increased energy bills.

Nothing has changed with Brexit. There are millions of settled status applications granted, over 5 million or so. Everyone who has ever worked and lived in the UK and wanted to stay was granted it.

Some who might otherwise have stayed did not because of the cost and onerous paperwork required for settled status. However the bigger issue is that those who were only here short-term were usually replaced by others coming here for short-term work when they left. That supply has now dried up.

The problem is low wages and the cash in hand economy. UC is not as problem on it's own.

High wages will lead to u=inflation though.

They are still coming, even short term. There are work visa schemes and quite frankly many just come in and work with no papers at all.

A few things spring to mind there
1- the gaps non EU people are filling are NOT the ones left by EU citizens. I think the presence of EU citizens was taken fro granted AND no one had actually any clue of how they were part of the UK economy (See the fact the UK government had actually had no idea of how many EU citizens were in the UK, let alone wjhat of job/occupations etc... they had). So we've welcome some professionals on the ground the UK needed wo ever realising the impact EU cictizens leaving would have (and therefore that they needed replacing too).
2- If those people are filling other gaps, thanks god they are there because the situation would be even wprse.
3- It's not just an issue with immigration even though brexit and how immigration is handled has made things much worse for the UK.

There are not.
When the UK governmentbtried to incite people to come and pic fruits (whihc theyve done for donkeys years) with visa 'made easy' no one took them on the offer. That's why so many crops are left to rot in fields.
Because the advantages to come over as an EU citizens vs someone of a short term visa are completely different.

The are many issues muddled up here.

The hospitality industry has always been tricky because of the hours. Travel industry/aviation has the same issues everywhere in mainland Europe.
Building trade has supply problems and rising costs of building material contributing to it.

The NHS has always been a bottomless pit for staff and money.

Because the advantages to come over as an EU citizens vs someone of a short term visa are completely different.

Yes. UC.

Have you actually seen rental prices in London swayingpalmtrees My DD who is on £50k as a single woman, has barely anything left after she's paid her rent

I am very aware of London prices and your dd could live in Kent and commute for a fraction of the cost, which is why people avoid London prices in the first place. I would not describe a 50K job in central London as highly paid either. If your dd chooses to have the convenience of living and enjoying life in the middle of the world capital, she will need to earn more than 50k clearly!

I have american family. They do not have the issues we are having. Yes their utility bills are rising, but when I see them on facebook complaining about the cost of power and petrol I am left wishing I was paying what they are paying

Most products cost twice or three times as much in America (I can't imagine what the situation must be like with inflation). You really wouldn't want to live there

We need to sort out the NHS properly instead of tinkering. The European system is so much better but any hint of " privatisation" is shouted down.

But we won't get a service like the French, German or Scandinavian systems. We would get one like the US systems. Which would generate lots of nice fat profits for Boris's chums, but be tough luck for the ordinary person on a minimum wage job.

It’s largely caused by Brexit, partly people retiring or changing livelihood during Covid…:.but why wasn’t this anticipated and what are we doing about it?

I think they've just made things already bad or in decline worse.

I think pay, employment practises childcare costs, training, house prices all need looking at - but the government in many cases were warned about implications in certain sectors and completely ignored and some industries have clearly not thought long term.

I think there will be a period of adjustment - supply chain issues are behind some thing like building supplies making jobs costlier - but I think there is a marked reluctance by many UK industries to actually train people up but then moan there's no-one trained in exactly the things and area they want.

The recent GP data done by BBC for England clearly shows different The areas with the fewest GPs revealed- show not all areas are same for vaccancies and employment.

I am going to say something else too, and no doubt you will all scream me donw but it is absolutely true.

My polish cleaner (of 15 years) moved back to Warsaw - she was tempted by the extra benefits the Polish government are now offering to young people and families as they have a massive problem there too, and all their young came to live here and now can not support the pensioners in Poland. It was nothing to do with brexit, she could get a job in admin there, and get paid more and be close to her family. Fair enough.

Now that is fine BUT she is still being child benefits etc from the UK government even though she moved there 14 months ago. I kid you not! And every time she needs an operation, she has cysts on her ovaries, she comes back here to use the NHS instead of paying in Poland. She often lines up a GP appointment, a dental appointment for her son and stays with us.

So we are not just the NHS for this country, but for many thousands of savvy Europeans that do not even live here!

I don't accept that Brexit is to blame for everything.

Also opening up teaching aging to allow any degree holder to apply. There are many people who could make great teachers, but don't have the 2:1

You don't need a 2.1. You don't even need to have a degree in the subject as there is training available to bring you up to speed. One of my DC trained as a teacher. Fellow trainees with Geography degrees were able to train as Maths Science teachers with additional training.
There are also lots of teacher retention schemes. This year for example you can get up to £7k tax free if you are a recent teacher and teach maths or physics.

** she is still receiving child benefits etc

Probation service is another one, chronic shortage in our LDU and has been for months. But then they dissuade people from becoming PO’s as a degree is required, where I’d argue that relevant experience is just as useful.

I'm educated to degree level and I don't have caring responsibilities, addictions, mental health issues or a chaotic lifestyle. If I'm finding it impossible how are some of the long-term unemployed described upthread supposed to change things?

So why can't you retrain as a teacher merry? With your degree you could do this so easily.

Yes, the UK is just a much less attractive gig for people looking to do that kind of work than it was when we were in the EU. Having to apply in advance for short term visas as opposed to just getting on a plane or bus whenever you feel like it with only your passport, of course this makes a difference. People like faff free options when they're available.

Brexit isn't the only reason why we're experiencing labour shortages, clearly the pandemic has had an impact there too, but it's certainly one of them.

I agree chicken Probation should be opened up to those with relevant experience and people skills. A degree is inflated for the job role and not everyone that is degree educated will necessarily be able to do the job.