Scotland's industry leaders demand to reform immigration rules amid staff shortage

There is "desperate need" to reform immigration rules to address crippling staff shortages, Scotland's food and drink sector leaders have warned, stated reports today (3).

According to the country’s industry leaders, up to a quarter of jobs in larger factories are unfilled, with fears the situation will get worse in the new year.

James Withers, chief executive of Scotland Food & Drink, told Scotsman how labour shortages due to Covid and Brexit are posing a "huge problem" across the food and drink manufacturing sector.

"I think around 1.3 million people from overseas left the UK during the pandemic and went home,” Withers said.

"The problem is we are now stuck with a post-Brexit immigration policy which makes it very difficult for them to come back.

"At best, it's ineffective, and at worst, it's deemed as hostile to the very people we need to bring back."

Revealing that about 60,000 people work in Scotland's food manufacturing sector, Withers claimed that at the moment, there is a staff shortage of at least 10,000 to 11,000 employees.

Withers said there is a "desperate need to get a UK immigration policy that is effective and recognises what are structural gaps in the supply chain".

Donna Fordyce, chief executive of Seafood Scotland, has also declared that the industry is facing a "really challenging" situation as a result of Brexit and the pandemic and is now facing labour shortages.

Before Brexit and Covid, about 52 per cent of the workforce in Scotland's seafood industry was Eastern European, Fordyce revealed, adding that in the north east, it was around 70 per cent.

She added that the new immigration policy had "really stopped any new workforce coming in to replenish" those who leave. Vacancies in some larger factories can be up to 25 per cent, reports said.

Fordyce has demanded a review of the "shortage occupation list" to give seafood processing staff an easier route into the UK while Withers said the youth mobility scheme visa could also be extended to EU countries.