UK tourism industry warns of looming skills shortage post Brexit
UK tourism businesses are warning that Brexit is already causing a skills shortage that is set to get worse once the UK leaves the European Union next year.
Whilst trade body UKinbound welcomed the recent recommendation of the Migration Advisory Committee that there should be fewer restrictions for higher skilled migrant workers, it said the tourism industry is reliant on migrant workers deemed by MAC to be ‘low skilled’.
UKinbound chairman Mark McVay said: The skills that our industry needs most are great interpersonal, communication and language skills. Since the Brexit referendum, many of our members have struggled to recruit workers with the right skill set in the UK and further restrictions could damage the industry."
He said that around 130,000 EU nationals left the UK in the year to September 2017, which was the highest number since 2008.
Work conducted by Canterbury Christ Church University earlier this year uncovered a growing language skills gap facing the UK tourism industry, which was caused by a combination of Brexit and the decline of language training in the UK, added McVay.
"Alongside this, business confidence regarding the future remains low for many of our members, and any additional restrictions on our industry is likely to further erode confidence."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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