Implications of Brexit for driver recruitment

Despite the lack of a clear plan of action, we have already started to see the effects of looming Brexit, not just in the economy, but in driver recruitment as well.

Not knowing what the future discussions may hold is understandably causing uncertainty in the UK economy, which has repercussions for business confidence for fleet managers and ultimately recruitment. That’s why we’ve tried to shed some light on some of the implications Brexit might have, to help you plan ahead.

Driver recruitment

In a previous post we wrote about the possible effects of driver training following Brexit - but what about recruitment?

There’s no denying that driver recruitment is tough enough in the UK these days. There’s a shortage of qualified drivers and competition is fierce.

The UK is currently 60,000 HGV drivers short and it is predicted that by 2020 there will be a shortfall of 150,000 drivers.

Last year, 83% of recruitment firms supplying temporary drivers to supermarkets and retailers said that they anticipated driver shortages to be a “significant problem” – particularly over the Christmas period.

Of course, Brexit cannot be solely to blame for this shortage. Other factors such as the ageing workforce have played their part in this. But what does leaving the EU really mean?

While we remain a member of the EU there is free movement between countries. We have been increasingly reliant on this labour source and drivers and construction workers are just some areas where importing flexible migrant workers have filled the manpower shortage.

Did you know, European migrants take up 21% of the FLT drivers’ workforce and 23% of the Warehouse Operatives workforce?

With the free movement of EU nationals likely to be a sticking point in EU negotiations – and with the government determined to assume greater control of our borders – fleet managers will need to plan for the likelihood of not being able to recruit workers from EU member states (although it is more likely that there will still be a pool of existing EU nationals working in Britain after we have left the EU).

What next?

Considering these points, it is apparent that we will need to look for a different source, or approach, to bring new skills to the market. One option could be apprenticeships. The government has an ongoing commitment to increase apprenticeships - pledging to create 3 million apprentices by 2020.

Brexit should also be a wake-up call for the industry to step-up its recruitment game. The transport industry needs wider promotion as a whole from further education institutions, businesses and the government to show that driving can be a credible career option.

In summary, driver recruitment is likely to become even tougher but whatever the implications, if you’re looking to recruit new staff for your fleet, it’s imperative to begin planning for the future now.

To help you prepare for the uncertainty of what the road to Brexit will lead us down, we’ve put-together a handy guide which you can download for free below.