A holiday park owner in UK hired nine chefs from India after failing to fill the vacancies locally.
Thomas Scarrott, the owner of Vale Holiday Parks, based in Aberystwyth, UK, has told the BBC that he hired a team of chefs from India after struggling to find local staff.
Scarrott said it was not “through want of trying to fill those positions with people from the local area”.
Scarrott has nine holiday parks across Wales. They “tried and tried and tried” to hire locally, but with no luck. Mr Scarrott added he had held a jobs fair expecting 100 attendees, but only two turned up. He said recruiting from overseas was more expensive and time-consuming than employing local workers due to Home Office rules and the need to pay recruitment firms.
“We’ve now got a team of sous chefs who’ve come over from India on a two-year sponsorship,” he said.
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Visa deal on the table
British Prime Minister Boris Jhonson is visiting India this week. The bilateral trade deal will be on the agenda, among other things. The two countries have been negotiating a Free Trade Agreement for months now, and visa for Indian professionals is one of the key Indian demands.
“India, as a major economic power and the world’s largest democracy, is a highly valued strategic partner for the UK in these uncertain times.
“My visit to India will deliver on the things that really matter to the people of both our nations – from job creation and economic growth to energy security and defence.”
UK claims and FTA with India could boost trade between the two countries by £28bn by 2035 and the defence partnership.
It could also remedy the skill shortage crisis caused by Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses used to rely on the freedom of movement across EU countries for skilled workers. However, due to Brexit, these businesses are struggling to find local workers and the experts warn that the shortage will worsen in the coming years.
A Department for International Trade spokesperson said: “India is projected to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2050, and a free trade agreement will open up huge opportunities for UK businesses to trade with India’s £2.25tn economy.
“Companies up and down the country can look forward to the benefits, from manufacturers in the West Midlands to tech experts in Belfast, and we look forward to launching negotiations early next year.”
