It seems Europe are struggling for HGV Drivers as well, 400K short according to Sky news this morning. Is that Brexit’s fault as well? Asking for a friend.
Except that within Europe, drivers can move freely between states to help where the worst shortages are. We on the other hand sit within our borders because we've "taken back control!" Well done! But wait, temporary visas to be granted for drivers. And butchers. Etc!
Europe: 10.18 million km². Population 750million. Shortage of 400k UK: 242,495 km². Population 67million. Shortage of over 100k 2% of the landmass, 9% of the population, 20% of the driver shortage.
Even if that were relevant, there are no problems across the EU with distribution of goods, supply & distribution of fuel etc. Tell your friend that.
Perhaps it would be better to put this into perspective, in the UK there is a shortage of over 100K lorry drivers, which when you look at land mass against the rest of Europe, then I would suggest that the UK has a bigger issue than the rest of Europe when it needs over a quarter of the drivers required.
So the whole of Europe as a shortfall of 400 thousand drivers, but drivers are able to cross borders freely to take up the slack in areas where there's a shortfall and there are no reports of food or fuel shortages. But the UK has a 100 thousand shortfall so as a percentage a much bigger deficit and driver's can't freely move across borders to fill gaps in demand and the UK as gaps in the food supply chain and a critical shortage of fuel at the pumps. But according to the Brexit bunch it's nowt to do with Brexit is that in the same way that it's not caused a border down the Irish sea or caused a shortage of staff in several sectors of the economy and price rises in shops and won't if the Tories get their way be responsible for a tearing up of workers and consumer rights etc.
Is your friend a Daily Mail reading flag-shagger, with an inability to understand basic data? Asking for a friend.
Comparisons with Europe don’t make sense, for various reasons already mentioned. But we were 75,000 drivers short in 2016. Brexit has made the problem worse, but the real issue is the appalling work conditions, expectations, and pay, that has made tens of thousands of qualified drivers choose not to take it up as an occupation any longer, and as drivers retire there’s nobody else coming through. It’s a clusterf**k of many different issues combining at once.
Even if Brexit hadn’t happened, we were still facing a driver shortage. Below link from RHA suggests COVID is the biggest issue, as if it didn’t happen we’d be net 20k drivers up after Brexit (but still short of the required 100k needed). Obviously the 40k cancelled tests is a headline figure - how many are multiple cancelled test and how many were cancelled for Europeans that then couldn’t get employment so went home following Brexit. - which would reduce it. Regarding the shortage in Europe - a shortage is a shortage regardless of being able to cross borders. Crossing borders to fill the void in one country will only create a shortage in the country the drivers have left. Only way the shortage will be filled if more people take up the profession then leave it. https://www.globalcoldchainnews.com/where-have-all-the-drivers-gone/
For once Brexit can't be blamed. Civil servants working from home and covid in general means it's much slower to get back a driving license when renewed or new. Same for those wanting a passport. Lots of people went back to their homeland because of covid and have got used to being back there so want to stay. Others have switched jobs maybe for less money but a better social life than the tough life HGV drivers have.
You just could make it up could you, there are still people thinking that Brexit is not to blame for this petrol debacle and shortage of food on the supermarket shelves plus food rotting in the fields farmers having to cull pigs I could go on, we are run by an idiot who lies every time he opens his mouth and along with Rupert Murdocks right-wing press spewing out nonsense people believe its that pesky EU's fault.