Lack of seasonal workers persists despite rising wages

In the UK, agricultural professionals estimate that 500,000 workers are needed for harvesting, packaging and transporting produce. But the combined effects of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic have halted the influx of seasonal workers from Europe. The salary offered to agricultural workers is now 20 GBP ($27.85) per hour.

 

The wages offered to agricultural workers reach 20 GBP ($27.85) per hour. This is more than double the current minimum wage of 8.91 GBP ($12.41) for adults over 23. This sharp increase is the result of the labor shortage caused by Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. Seasonal workers arriving from Europe are much less numerous and few Britons apply for these positions.

 

In some parts of the country the number of seasonal fruit pickers has fallen by more than 90% according to industry professionals who estimate that 500,000 workers are needed for cultivation, picking, packaging and transportation.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has limited travel between the EU and Britain. The government has set up a visa system to allow entry of agricultural workers from the EU and Ukraine. This program allows 30,000 foreign workers to come and work on farms.

 

But that will probably be insufficient, according to FWD (Federation of Wholesale Distributors), the federation of wholesale distributors which believes that the situation has reached a critical point, and risks causing a real shortage of products in the stores. With regard to the transport sector, RHA (Road Haulage Association) also deplores a lack of heavy truck drivers which risks impacting the supply channels of sale.