We must address next labour shortage before it's too late
In her latest article, BMPA's Technical Policy Manager, Nan Jones takes a pre-emptive look at the beginnings of the next labour shortage crisis for the meat industry, picking up on growing concerns over the availability of staff.
While meat businesses have invested a significant amount in initiatives such as apprenticeships, graduate schemes, internal butchery academies and automation, they continue to face significant challenges filling vital skilled roles.
As Nan explains: "The physical demands, geographic isolation, and limited flexibility of these roles make it difficult to fill all positions with a domestic workforce alone. Migrant workers play a vital role in bridging this gap, ensuring that businesses can meet their staffing needs and maintain operations effectively."
One potentially positive piece of news we are hearing this week is renewed talk of an 'Australian-style' Youth Mobility Scheme for 18 - 13 year olds. This could restore some of the vital access to EU workers that has been removed by Brexit and subsequent changes to the Skilled Worker Visa requirement, which have rendered the visa unfeasible for use in the meat industry. We watch with interest as the terms of such a scheme are negotiated.