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RECEUITMENT issues and the need for self-isolation are causing staffing issues across the remarketing sector.

The Vehicle Remarketing Association said that its members were experiencing issues finding staff to fill all kinds of long-term positions, and that the problem was being exacerbated by the ongoing short-term demands of self-isolation.

The VRA’s Philip Nothard said: “Obviously, we recognise and support the requirement for self-isolation to curb the pandemic but ‘pinging’ it does create often quite acute staffing issues with no notice. This can affect almost any element of the remarketing industry.

“In addition, there are certainly recruitment issues for long-term vacancies. The shortage of drivers has been making national headlines, with the Road Haulage Association saying 100,000 are needed, but we are also hearing of people struggling to fill all kinds of positions.

“While these problems are clearly not limited to remarketing, and are being felt to differing degrees across the whole economy, we do feel as though they might be quite acute here.”

He added that the driver shortage was having an obvious effect in a sector that relied on being able to move vehicles across the country quickly and efficiently.

“Our view is that the impact of staffing issues on vehicle logistics has been managed relatively well so far but that noticeable effects are quite likely to increase over time. Clients may have to become accustomed to vehicle movements taking longer.

“Really, the underlying issue is that the there is no immediate solution to either the issue of self-isolation or of long-term staffing shortages. While we all obviously hope that the pandemic continues to recede and falls to a level where its effects are minimal and manageable, there is also a chance that we could return to partial lockdowns.

“Similarly, the situation with long-term vacancies is likely to persist. While there may be redundancies over the next few months as furloughing ends and more people therefore entering the job market, there is no guarantee that they’ll have the skills that the remarketing sector requires.”

 

 

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