Don’t blame Brexit for lack of drivers

BREXIT is not the key reason behind the shortage of lorry drivers and waiters in the UK, Raghuram Rajan has said.

The economist said companies in the US and elsewhere were also struggling to recruit workers, suggesting the trend could not be solely explained by problems in individual economies.

McDonald’s has said the lorry driver shortage has stopped it selling milkshakes, Nando’s has temporarily closed restaurants after delays to chicken orders and BP has been unable to get petrol to some pumps. Meanwhile, restaurant and hotel bosses have complained that they are struggling to fill vacancies.

When asked about the causes of job shortages, Rajan said: ‘Anyone who thinks they understand exactly what is happening is overestimating their knowledge. There are a lot of moving parts. Increasingly, the evidence is that lots of companies have moved on and they need different kinds of workers.

‘And in some cases workers have moved on and aren’t willing to go back to their old jobs.’