AIBU to think this is a 'Get on your bike' moment from the Government?

[chomalungma]

Apparently there's 8 million economically inactive people in the UK.

Ok - so some of them are students, carers, long term ill, SAHP etc...

So maybe 20% of them are probably capable of work.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/feb/19/immigration-firms-will-need-to-train-more-uk-workers-says-priti-patel

So that's good because there are going to be loads of vacancies to fill in the UK and UK workers will have the advantage.

Let's hope the jobs are in the same place as the economically inactive people are...or will it be a 'Get on your bike' to get a job future for people - regardless of house prices and the practicalities of moving to the job.

Certainly going to be an interesting few years.

@dreamingbohemian

But Katherine the day shift hours at my restaurant (as for most restaurants open for lunch) was 10 am to 3 or 4 pm.

Surely your part time staff don't only work daytime shifts, they have to work evenings as well on occasion or regularly?

Some did both, some were only days.

In my experience restaurants are not as cutthroat as retail in terms of rota and hours, obviously that's not universal but just my experience.

There's probably a mismatch between the type of people we have out of employment & the jobs that will need doing.

We have people with families to support, who can't live in a shared flat on minimum wage, or take the risk of zero hours etc.

I don't think wages can dramatically rise. But i do think employers will be forced to accept more risk, by allowing more flexibility, offering actual fixed hours etc.

LOL at some of these comments. There won't suddenly be more money to pay better wages to Brits, not unless you want much higher food and service prices (which is coming anyway...).

Well we may not want higher food and service prices but as we've previously enjoyed cheap ones on the back of exploiting people maybe well just have to suck it up.

If fruit picking (berries in particular) is hard to automate, and if it's important to pay a living wage, then it's hard to imagine a scenario under which we can carry on having lots of berries in the supermarkets in the UK.

I'd guess economic pressure will give way to automation, I heard a segment on R4 (I think) on fruit picking not too long ago (I can't recall which kind of fruit). There is a race to get it right.

Well we may not want higher food and service prices but as we've previously enjoyed cheap ones on the back of exploiting people maybe well just have to suck it up.

There are going to be visas for 'unskilled' agricultural workers, so I doubt it.