Isle of Man minister blames Brexit and Covid for staff shortages

Some businesses may need to reduce their services in the run up to Christmas

Staff shortages caused by a combination of Brexit and Covid "uncertainty" could see some firms scaling back services over the festive period on the Isle of Man, the enterprise minister has said.

Alex Allinson said the issue had left employers, particularly those in the hospitality industry, "quite worried".

His warning came as unemployment fell below 2019 levels for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.

The island currently has about 950 job vacancies.

About 350 of the unfilled roles are in the retail distribution, catering and entertainment sectors.

'Entice them back'

Dr Allinson said while a shortage of workers in those areas was not restricted to the island, the fact travel to and from the island was now "a little bit harder than it used to be" was hindering firms' ability to attract workers from Europe.

He also said lockdowns had made people "perhaps more reluctant to leave now to come back as they normally would".

"Certain employers have been quite worried, particularly in terms of the hospitality industry, that they may not have enough workers to remain open at all times," he added.

He said the government was collaborating with the chamber of commerce to identify any skills gaps within the Manx workforce and "offering reskilling" where appropriate.

He said the island also needed "to look at those people who perhaps have retired" and investigate "whether we can entice them back into the workforce, even if it's just for the peak season, to help out".

He added that such workers could "help make sure that those restaurants, pubs, clubs and hotels are able to function during what can be a busy time".

There were 326 people registered as unemployed in October, which is six fewer than the figure for the same month two years ago, and less than half that in 2020.