U.K.’s Johnson Promises Change

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to promise changes in the U.K. to shift it to a “high wage, high skill, high productivity economy.” Among other economic difficulties, the U.K. is suffering shortages of fuel deliveries mainly due to a lack of heavy goods vehicle drivers and overseas workers — with the shortfalls exacerbated by the Covid pandemic and Brexit, but also from other factors such as low pay and poor working conditions. The labor shortage has highlighted Britain’s dependence on overseas, seasonal workers. Johnson and government officials have tried to play down the U.K.’s labor shortages, resisting calls for more immigration to reduce labor shortages and instead telling businesses to invest in British workers. British businesses have said they find it hard to attract British workers, particularly in certain sectors where they lack the right skills, demand higher wages and are unwilling to accept tougher working conditions.