Johnson says Ukrainian refugees can help ease UK labour shortages
Tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees set to come to the UK will help ease the country’s labour shortages, Boris Johnson has said.
The Prime Minister said “one of the problems our economy has” is “the need for more pairs of hands to do crucial jobs and one of the things the Ukrainians will be able to do immediately is contribute to the economy by working”.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show the UK had just under 1.25m job vacancies at the end of December – a record high and an increase of 462,000 from the pre-Covid level.
The government has opened up two routes for Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion to enter the UK, with the government estimating up to 200,000 people could arrive.
Around 25,000 visas in total have been awarded so far.
“They are going to be an extra cost, but on the other hand there are 1.25m job vacancies in this country,” Johnson said.
“One of the problems our economy has … is the need for more pairs of hands to do crucial jobs and one of the things the Ukrainians will be able to do immediately is contribute to the economy by working.
He added: “At the moment, the dispersal of refugees around this country is not particularly equitable and there are quite a few councils in Scotland who don’t take very many.
“I think what would be good to see is a greater spread and a greater fairness in the distribution.”
Labour shortages have disrupted UK supply chains in some crucial industries over the past six months, including food and drink suppliers, and are a partial driver of inflation.
The Learning and Work Institute largely puts the UK’s labour shortages down to a shrinking of supply over the past two years, with the think tank estimating that the British economy has 1.1m less workers than it would have had if Covid never happened.
This is through a combination of people spending longer in education, over-50s leaving the workforce, immigrants leaving the UK during Covid and fewer people coming in post-Brexit.