Brexit and Covid-19: hiring of customs officers in full swing

While the impact of the coronavirus crisis is considerable on the labor market, some sectors are doing better than others. As reported by BFM Business, which relays a study from Indeed, the online job search engine, customs professions have seen their number of recruitments explode due to the health context and numerous border controls in recent months. In France, Great Britain, but also in the Netherlands and Belgium, the customs industry has never been so successful.

According to this study, the number of offers dedicated to the customs profession has multiplied by 10, from 61.7 offers per 1,000 in February 2020 to 616.9 in January 2021. In the United Kingdom, a rare phenomenon is even noted since the supply is particularly stronger than the demand with three times more job offers dedicated to customs than searches. This trend can also be observed in France where in the space of four months, between October 2020 and January 2021, the number of customs job offers doubled, under the impetus of the State.

Brexit benefits the sector

This phenomenon could well continue over time since Brexit will inevitably require the maintenance of more customs officers between France and the United Kingdom due to the end of the free movement of goods, services and people between the two countries. At the end of 2020, the government announced the recruitment and training of 600 customs officers, 270 of whom have already been assigned as reinforcements in Hauts-de-France and at the entry point of the Channel Tunnel located in Calais. . In addition, 100 additional customs officers will also be recruited in the course of 2021.

For its part, Indeed points out to BFM Business that the health situation could cause this trend to slow down over time. “Depending on the progress of the vaccination campaign within the old continent and the seasonality of the virus, this trend may prove to be quite short-lived,” indicates the online job search engine