image credit: Reuters Due to a shortage of lorry drivers, German candy manufacturer Haribo is having difficulty delivering its sweets to stores in the United Kingdom. According to a spokesman, the company, like many other manufacturers and merchants, is “experiencing issues” with supply. All Haribo sweets, including Goldbears and Tangfastics, are affected. Thousands of HGV driver jobs have gone unfilled due to the pandemic and Brexit, according to the transport sector. To address the issue, Haribo claimed it was “working with partners throughout the food and beverage industry.” According to the Road Haulage Association, there is now a 60,000-driver shortage. It is estimated that 30,000 HGV driving tests were canceled last year as a result of the Covid epidemic. Where have all the workers from the United Kingdom gone? As the economy recovers, a number of industries are having difficulty recruiting qualified employees, prompting some analysts to refer to the UK’s “missing workers.” Before the pandemic, many lorry drivers in the UK were EU nationals, mainly from Romania and Bulgaria, according to Kate Shoesmith, deputy chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, who told the BBC last month. They stayed in the UK after the Brexit vote, but began to leave when the coronavirus hit, she claimed. “Either they’ve found work in their home countries or they don’t think it’s proper to return to the UK, either because of Brexit or because of the pandemic,” Ms Shoesmith explained. The Department of Transportation acknowledged the issue, but added that work was being made on HGV driving tests and recruitment. Transport of goods Pandemic of Coronavirus Companies Brexit/n
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