First the waitresses and waitresses, then the truck drivers – and now Santa Claus too. Great Britain lacks – once again – an essential workforce.
London – Now it begins, the most beautiful, tranquil time of the year, gifts are distributed and stories read out in the winter wonderland, boom for Santa and his helpers. But supply crises like the shortage of truck drivers, leaving petrol stations running out of fuel and empty shelves in retail outlets, have shown that things are not yet going as usual in the UK. What to do if Santa is still out too? A hard-to-imagine scenario – Christmas without Santa Claus – is exactly what much of the UK is now facing.
The work itself is much more lucrative for Santa Claus this year. According to media reports, the wages for professional Santa Clauses have in some cases more than tripled. The reason: The Santas are missing. In these weeks, for example, there are hundreds of vacancies on the Indeed job site. We are looking for people who are ready to throw themselves into Santa Claus costumes for a day or by the hour and take on all those tasks that are expected of Santa Clauses – in more rare cases Santa Wives.
Missing Santa Clauses – Great Britain already with several bottlenecks this year
Santa Clauses are by no means the first profession to be seriously short of in the UK this year. Empty supermarket shelves and dried up gas stations made headlines in late summer when truck drivers were missing to get fuel and goods from A to B. Farmers and pub owners also complained about a lack of staff.
So now the Santa Clauses too. “Santa and his aides are not immune to seasonal labor shortages,” Indeed’s Jack Kennedy recently told the Daily Star. Partial evidence would be offered daily wages of up to 800 pounds (around 936 euros).
Corona virus: Santa bottleneck is related to the pandemic
The unusual Santa bottleneck is closely related to the corona pandemic. In the past, it was often the elderly who took on the role – today they are among the greatest risk groups in the event of a corona infection. Many are likely to decide against the Santa Claus job, as in most cases it involves a lot of contacts.
Overall, the job expert Kennedy sees less demand for seasonal jobs. The occasional assignments are therefore no longer one of the most attractive options for making money, as there are currently job offers in many industries.
Great Britain: Three quarters of the population do not expect to see a Santa this year
The Nextdoor network, which connects people online with neighbors, has taken a closer look at the problem. The opinion polling firm Opinium conducted an online survey of 2,000 British adults in November, which found that more than three quarters of those surveyed (78 percent) do not expect to meet a Santa Claus anywhere this year. For some, something important is missing: Almost a third (31 percent) said they would be disappointed if their Christmas season had to do without Santa at all.
Enough reason for the network to try to remedy the situation: those in charge organized Santa trainings in several cities, as Nextdoor’s community leader Roisin O’Niell reported. “In it, our Santa helpers learn everything they need, from the correct” Ho, Ho, Ho “to reindeer names, how to dress up and make-up, which words to use, how to greet children, to festive quizzes. Play. ”In London, Manchester, but also Wales and Scotland, up to 100 volunteers have been trained in these weeks. “The response has been incredible,” said O’Niell.
Santa press office satisfied despite shortages in Great Britain: “Greetings from the North Pole headquarters (…)
After all, those professional Santas who do the Christmas work this year seem to be satisfied despite all the hurdles. On request, the Rent-A-Santa press office only says: “Greetings from the North Pole headquarters – there is only one Santa, and everything is wonderful and very busy.” (Lz / dpa)
Headline list image: © Danny Lawson / dpa
