Brexit and Covid led to exodus of 500,000 from workforce ‘putting economy at risk’

Britain’s labour outlook ‘bleak’, finds report by senior peers

Office workers and commuters at Canary Wharf (PA)

A huge wave of early retirement following the Covid pandemic is the biggest cause of labour shortages across the UK, according to a new report.

Brexit had also added to an acute shortage of workers in some industries – including hospitality, agriculture and care, according to the Lords’ economic affairs committee.

The committee warned that the labour outlook for the UK was “bleak”, finding that economic inactivity has increased by 565,000 people since the start of the pandemic.