Warnings staff shortages could have bigger impact in North Yorkshire
The MP for Thirsk, Malton and Filey says rural communities depend more on workers from abroad
Warnings of staff shortages and supply chain issues could have a bigger impact on places like the North Yorkshire and the Yorkshire Coast.
That is according to Thirsk, Malton and Filey's MP, who tells us rural communities depend more on workers from abroad.
Recent weeks have seen concerns about pigs being culled because of butcher shortages, and HGV drivers being in short supply.
Kevin Hollinrake said:
"It costs about £3,000 a year to bring in a high skilled worker into the UK, there's quite a lot of bureaucracy around it and I think that'll be more difficult which means employers will think twice and will then look at other ways of doing things, automation being one of them.
"Immigration rules have changed of course because that's generally what the public wants to see like tighter controls and higher support in immigration. I think we just need to understand that there are some very short term problems here, probably months, where there are immigration controls that need to be eased a little bit.
"There's lots of different sectors where we're having difficulties for various reasons; not at least Covid and the rapid recovery, and the fact that lots of people went home because of Covid back to their own countries, different parts of Europe particularly and then the rapid recovery people haven't come back yet.
"I campaigned strongly for the easing of visa requirements of butchers, for example, which was the biggest issue in the supply chain for pig farmers and meat processing. The Government has allowed 800 workers in on a temporary visa route which is much easier for employers which is good."