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All of Europe is desperate for more lorry drivers

Data show drivers have their pick of jobs across the continent

Firms across Europe are struggling to find workers to operate their ​​vans, lorries and tankers. Drivers are getting older, more are retiring, and younger ones are put off by difficult conditions. Without drivers, supply chains are getting stretched. Motorists in Britain have been queueing for hours at petrol stations. On September 25th the government said that it would issue temporary visas for 5,000 foreign truck drivers to help plug the gap. But with high demand across the continent, competition for drivers is fierce.

One sign of this is the number of job openings advertised. According to Indeed, a job-search website, daily listings for heavy-goods vehicle (HGV) drivers in Britain increased by 108% at their peak over the summer, compared with February 2020. Now they are 73% above pre-pandemic levels. In Germany, job listings have increased by 67%; in Spain they have jumped by 95%; and in Italy by 105% (see chart). Qualified European drivers have their pick of jobs across the continent. Brexit-related form-filling and tax tweaks will make the offer from Boris Johnson’s government of a short-term visa to Britain less appealing.

Rising wages may entice more people to get behind the wheel. Indeed reckons the median pay offered to HGV drivers rose by 12.8% in Britain between February and August, compared with an increase of just 1% across all jobs. It notes that more firms are offering drivers signing bonuses, too. Still, drivers from southern and eastern Europe looking for work may be more attracted to job opportunities in countries like Germany or the Netherlands, which offer comparable wages as well as freedom of movement around the European Union.

Recruiting new drivers will take time. For now, Britain’s government has ordered around 150 soldiers to be ready to drive tankers. For a government that has been urging citizens to keep calm, that is a rather drastic step. ■