Tunbridge Wells, UK: A cut to the salary threshold is not enough to retain migrant workers in the UK says the Freight Transport Association.
The Migration Advisory Committee has reduce the £30,000 salary threshold for immigration post-Brexit but retained the Level 3 qualification requirement.
This will severely worsen the shortage of labour in the logistics sector and should be removed from the post-Brexit immigration policy, says Sally Gilson, head of skills policy, FTA.
The UK desperately needs 59,000 HGV drivers just to keep operations afloat, but as this job only requires a Level 2 qualification, businesses would not be able to recruit non-UK drivers under the proposed system,: she says.
“The sector is heavily reliant on EU workers – these individuals comprise 13% of the entire logistics workforce – and with 64% of logistics businesses already struggling to fill vacancies, taking away the pool of non-UK workers would have devastating impacts for UK plc and the wider economy.
These standards would hit hardest the industries that are already suffering from labour shortages; they unfairly discriminate against vocational workers who provide a vital service to the UK economy.”
“In an ideal scenario, we would be able to recruit UK workers to fill the shortfall, but with the UK experiencing record levels of employment, the sector remains reliant on migrant labour,: she says.
“The logistics sector wants to keep the UK trading – and will do anything possible to see this happen – but we need an immigration policy that provides the right framework; not just for the logistics sector, but for the wider UK economy.”
