British nightclubs are faced with a growing shortage of bouncers. How informs The Guardian, citing the Night Time Industries Associatio (NTIA), forced one in five establishments to close or cut their opening hours in September due to the labor market crisis in September, and those security professionals who were hired had to raise their salaries by 25 percent. and more.
Among the reasons for the shortage in the labor market is the coronavirus pandemic, due to which a significant proportion of people employed in the entertainment sector were left without work. The sector has lost almost 90,000 jobs since the start of the pandemic, with the nightlife industry valued at £ 36 billion (over RUB 3.5 trillion) in 2019, the equivalent of 1.6 percent of national GDP, NTIA estimates. In addition, the UK’s exit from the EU, when many labor migrants left the country, significantly influenced the staffing shortage.
The lack of staff is an additional burden on entertainment establishments that are trying to cope with rising costs, for example, due to a record rise in electricity prices. In addition, the lack of the necessary personnel significantly complicates the recovery of the industry after the coronavirus pandemic and months of restrictions.
NTIA has asked the government for help, and its chief, Michael Kill, has called the shortage of bouncers a potential “threat to public safety.” NTIA has advocated a long-term VAT cut for the industry that could save thousands of jobs. In 2020, the authorities temporarily lowered the value added tax for pubs, restaurants, hotels and some other areas to five percent, but raised it to 12.5 percent in early October 2021. Already in April 2022, VAT should return to 20 percent, which was before the coronavirus pandemic.
Kill added that funding initiatives to train security personnel, as well as legislative measures, such as the issuance of temporary visas for migrant workers, could help solve the problem.
The government has already resorted to this measure to attract foreign workers to eliminate the shortage of truckers. It caused disruptions in the supply of food, fuel and medicine in the country. However, the residents of Hungary and Poland said they were not ready to return on the same terms.
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