Leading North Yorkshire commercial plant nursery Johnsons of Whixley claims Yorkshire workers are failing to apply for jobs in the region despite the regional unemployment rate being above the national average.
Following the impact that Brexit has had on UK employment, the 100-year-old company has a number of employment opportunities at its North Yorkshire base and is questioning why local workers seem hesitant to apply for the roles.
Johnsons of Whixley currently has vacancies for both permanent and part-time roles across the business; a significant increase on the number of vacancies within the firm five years ago.
This issue reflects the numbers across the county with Yorkshire’s unemployment rate currently being 4.8%₁ above the national average. The number of national job vacancies from July to September 2021 peaked at a record high of 1,102,000₂, with national unemployment at 4.5%₃ and redundancies returning to pre-pandemic levels at 3.6% per thousand employees₄, leaving businesses asking why workers are not applying for the many available positions.
As well as the issues with recruitment, Johnsons of Whixley was also impacted through new export regulations. The firm annually sold £500,000 worth of plants to Northern Irish customers before Brexit but says new rules stop it supplying rootball, bare root and container plants into the EU and now Northern Ireland.
Graham Richardson, joint managing director at Johnsons of Whixley said: “We are currently offering a record number of jobs. We are thankful that our operations are so strong at such a tumultuous time for the economy but need the support of people in our region to fill our vacancies.
“Getting people into reliable, sustainable jobs like the ones we are recruiting for will help everyone build back better after the disruption of the pandemic. We see plenty of opportunity, but the size of the ‘bottleneck’ will depend on having sufficient staff to satisfy demand.”
Roles are currently available across the nursery, maintenance, sales and administration departments at Johnsons of Whixley, which is situated between York and Harrogate and is a leading supplier of plants to infrastructure schemes across the UK.
Explaining more about the roles available, Graham added: “We have got some fantastic roles available at the moment, ranging from admin to hands-on work outdoors across the nursery, so there is something for everyone with some excellent progression opportunities.
“We offer one of the best environments to work in; most of the time you’ll be outside in the fresh air, getting plenty of steps in. We offer various bonuses, treats and regular social activities, an early finish on a Friday, generous holiday entitlement, company pension scheme and free car parking. We have a culture of inclusivity and genuinely view our employees as our wider family.
“Joining Johnsons of Whixley offers the reward of becoming a climate change ‘key worker’ – few businesses can boast that they are net contributors to the environment from core activities.”
Despite many firms scaling back operations because of the pandemic, Johnsons of Whixley recently celebrated a record year of sales, achieving a turnover of over £15 million for the first time in its 100-year history.
Elsewhere, the retail sector is consolidating, and sales volumes have been returning to a more predictable level following a pandemic inspired surge.
To find out more about the various roles currently on offer visit: https://nurserymen.co.uk/careers-at-johnsons-of-whixley/