“If the shortage becomes greater, it can be a threat to public safety,” said the head of the Night Time Industries Association, Michael Kill, as the broadcaster Sky News reported on Monday. During the pandemic, when clubs and bars were closed for many months, many left the industry and looked for jobs with more pleasant working hours.
“Brexit did not help either, even if it is not the only factor that plays a role here,” said Kill. Many EU workers left the UK during the pandemic. New Brexit visa rules mean that very few return. This leads to problems in a number of industries, the most drastic so far has been the effects of a lack of truck drivers, which led to empty supermarket shelves and dried out gas stations.
According to the Night Time Industries Association, around one in five clubs or restaurants in the UK had closed or restricted opening times due to a lack of security guards by last month.
Peter Marks, head of Rekom UK, which operates several British club chains, reported on the rising costs incurred by the industry as a result of higher wages, energy prices and the return to higher VAT. “The costs have risen by around 15 percent,” said Marks to the broadcaster Sky News.