British firms prepare for a future with fewer European migrant workers

BY RIGHTS, the general manager of the Royal Lancaster shouldn't have much to worry about. With sweeping views over Hyde Park and a glitzy history of hosting footballers and pop stars, the posh central London hotel has ticked along nicely since it opened in 1967. Now, however, Sally Beck has a headache: Brexit. And, specifically, how she will keep going if that means losing unfettered access to workers from the European Union.Like many hotels and restaurants, the Royal Lancaster depends on migrants. About half its staff, including a third of its managers, were born in continental Europe. These proportions are common in the capital, and even in the regions can be as high as 40%, says Ufi Ibrahim, the head of the British Hospitality Association, a lobby group. Overall, the hospitality industry'the country's fourth-largest by income'employs 4.5m people, of whom at least 700,000 are from the EU.Other industries are similarly reliant on EU workers (see chart). Jack Semple of the Road Haulage Association, an industry group, estimates that Britain has 600,000 licensed lorry drivers, of whom at least 10% are from the EU,...Continue reading
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