November 28, 2022

Major UK pork producer hires butchers from the Philippines to replace lost EU workers

Cranswick Plc, one of the biggest pork producers in the UK, has spent GBP 4 million (~US$4.8 million; GBP 1 = US$1.21) to hire 400 butchers from the Philippines, following a staff crisis that threatened to affect production, as European workers left following Brexit, Yahoo! News reported.

Adam Couch, the chief executive officer of Cranswick, said it was essential if people were to have food on their plates. Although bringing them over is very expensive, it is far preferable to cutting back on production as the company did at this time last year.

Couch said it costs between GBP 10,000 (~US$12,000) and GBP 12,000 (~US$14,400) to import one butcher from the Philippines. Every butcher needs a visa, transportation to the UK, an English proficiency test, and lodging. To train up new butchers, Cranswick has an apprenticeship program, but Couch claimed that there were simply not enough people.

The entire industry is experiencing a staffing shortage, Jayne Arnold of the Food and Drink Federation said, despite employers making significant efforts to attract workers, from offering higher wages to introducing more flexible shifts.

Tony Danker, director general of The Confederation of British Industry, said earlier this week that the UK needed more foreign workers to avoid a potential recession.

Businesses are looking for new ways to find workers as a result of the labour shortage. The motoring and bike retailer Halfords Group Plc has started a hiring drive for 1,000 new technicians, giving preference to older workers.

-      Yahoo! News