Solving Labour Shortage

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sally maclennane
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Solving Labour Shortage

Post by sally maclennane »

I was really irritated to see Keir Starmer saying we needed to cut the dependence on migrant labour to deal with shortage of workers. What does he think we should do instead? There's a record number of people not working due to health issues and unless the NHS improves massively, that's not likely to change. Anecdotally I know of lots of people in their 50s/60s who have taken early retirement so they're not going to go back to work either.

I'll admit that I have a vested interest, in that I'd like there to be nursing home staff to care for me in my dotage :lol: Also, coming from a family of immigrants, I hate that kind of rhetoric anyway. My family worked hard, paid taxes and contributed to the country. Why shouldn't other people come and work here if they want to? We need workers :shrug:

Is there another solution?
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Glint
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Re: Solving Labour Shortage

Post by Glint »

The only alternative I can ever see when this is discussed, is increasing wages and making these jobs more appealing. But where does the money come from, and how do you change a mindset where ‘caring’ jobs are generally considered low value and menial.
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Montana
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Re: Solving Labour Shortage

Post by Montana »

I don't know the answer but KS is pissing me off massively, pretty much echoing the Tories on this and Brexit; and seeking to differentiate Labour by pledging to make the House of Lords an elected chamber. As if that's high on anyone's list of priorities at the moment!

In an attempted answer to the actual question, I suspect it's really a waiting game until technology has progresses to let robots do most of the lower/medium level jobs.
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sally maclennane
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Re: Solving Labour Shortage

Post by sally maclennane »

Glint wrote: Wed Nov 23, 2022 3:40 pm The only alternative I can ever see when this is discussed, is increasing wages and making these jobs more appealing. But where does the money come from, and how do you change a mindset where ‘caring’ jobs are generally considered low value and menial.
Totally agree about better pay, but if there just aren't enough people, then paying more won't really resolve it.

Montana, I'm fully with you on Starmer, he's just pandering to idiots who voted Brexit for largely racist reasons.
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lazzbo
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Re: Solving Labour Shortage

Post by lazzbo »

Keir Starmer's chat is shit on this. I don't know what he's playing at. Obviously, he's a million miles better than Corbyn, but I do feel we've got another duffer.

Rejoining the single market will solve the labour shortage and that's what we'll have to do. We'll end up like Norway or something.
Topcat
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Re: Solving Labour Shortage

Post by Topcat »

I don't know. I think he would be mad to come out any other way right now, he doesn't need to do anything diferent in order to risk a change in the opinon polls.

Things will change, we will rejoin the single market, even the shithouse publications are beginning to see that, why risk upsetting the applecart with two years of this shitshow to run yet?
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Montana
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Re: Solving Labour Shortage

Post by Montana »

I do see what you mean, TC, but with two years to go until the next GE during which the penny can only continue to drop amongst the electorate about Brexit, why commit himself to not including even a reassessment of it in the manifesto? Same with immigration. He's boxing himself into a corner and he really doesn't need to do that at this stage!
Last edited by Montana on Wed Nov 23, 2022 7:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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sally maclennane
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Re: Solving Labour Shortage

Post by sally maclennane »

That is true I guess TC, I just find it so depressing that even with public opinion seeming to shift on Brexit, and more people feeling it was a mistake, KS/Labour still seem determined to keep pretending that it was a good choice. It's as if a very vocal, cultish minority take complete precedence over anyone else.

Rejoining the single market seems inevitable (and I'm fine with that, although obviously I'd prefer us to fully rejoin) so why not at least float it, and distinguish yourself from the Tories while they rip themselves apart over Brexit ( :fc: )
Last edited by sally maclennane on Wed Nov 23, 2022 8:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Ruby
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Re: Solving Labour Shortage

Post by Ruby »

Ngggg. I just typed out a big reply to this and lost it. Basically I agree with TC. :uhh:
sally maclennane wrote: Wed Nov 23, 2022 6:47 pm Rejoining the single market seems inevitable (and I'm fine with that, although obviously I'd prefer us to fully rejoin) so why not at least float it, and distinguish yourself from the Tories while they rip themselves apart over Brexit ( : fc: )
This would be absolute electoral suicide and flush the whole 30 point lead down the shitter. It's inevitable eventually, but we need more old people to die and the cost of living to really bite. We joined the EEC in the first place because we had stagnant growth and poor trade. It will happen again, but people need to re-learn.

With regards to migration, there are whole industries - healthcare, for example - that are kept afloat because of migration. But it doesn't sit right to me that we're effectively stealing trained doctors & nurses from less economically developed countries. We really need to invest in training places instead of relying on immigration to plug the gaps. We also shouldn't have a care industry full of migrant workers, simply because the wages are so low that people won't do them. That's what's meant by having an economy that is reliant on immigration. We need immigration, but not as a cheap option because we can't be arsed investing.
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sally maclennane
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Re: Solving Labour Shortage

Post by sally maclennane »

No, I get that (particularly the point about the NHS/care sectors and not taking other countries' trained staff from them) and I totally agree that we should pay more for care workers etc. However, there is a definite numbers element here, there just aren't enough people in the labour market from what I can see so if we fund more training places, and pay better wages, then we'll still need immigration.
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Topcat
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Re: Solving Labour Shortage

Post by Topcat »

We absolutely do need migrant workers here, it is why ending free movement was so mental, the celebrations about it even more mental. It summed up the insanity of leaving the EU perfectly, like some kind of childrens tale.

But it may not even be two years to wait looking at things. Sunak hasn't exactly steadied this ship, there are very loud whispers about his lack of authority, one minister has already been forced to resign for being the cunt that we all knew he was, the PPE scandal is finally kicking off, Barverman has been shown up to an utter fucking moron by members of her own party and Raab looks as though he is going to be the next one to go with new revelations popping up absolutely everywhere at the moment.

This shitshow is still rumbling along under this Conservative government, Sunak is probably just that little bit more of a statesman than the other two tosspots so the outrage isn't quite there. Yet.
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