Britain’s jobs boom sparks Army recruitment crisis as more young men opt to work in civvy street
The Brigade of Guards, the most famous infantry unit, is more than 500 under strength, according to official figures.
BRITAIN’S jobs boom has sparked a recruitment crisis in the Army as more young men opt to work in civvy street.
The Brigade of Guards, the most famous infantry unit, is more than 500 under strength, according to official figures.
Defence chiefs say it is the worset struggle to fill vacancies in half-a-century.
Some MPs believe low unemployment has led to a shortage of applicants in traditional army recruitment areas.
Regiments whose historic role is to guard the British monarch have all been hit by the crisis. They include the Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Grenadier and Coldstream Guards.
The Scots Guards have been worst hit, with just 510 soldiers – 190 short of the number needed to function properly.
The Welsh Guards should have 505 trained squaddies, but has only 370 serving in its ranks – a deficit of nearly 30 per cent.
Former armed forces minister Sir Nicholas Soames said: “The Army is badly under-recruited and the situation is a serious cause for concern.
“I’m sure ministers are deeply anxious about the personnel shortage.
“It means we are asking an awful lot of people to do extra duties to cover the shortage.”
He added: “One of the downsides of record low unemployment is that it’s harder to find new recruits in many areas.”
Britain is short of more than 4,000 soldiers at a time of global and “severe” domestic fears.
Tory government cuts have led to the Army losing - thousands of soldiers, with the official number down to 82,000.
But current figures for Army personnel show the service has just 77,440 soldiers on its books.
A report commissioned by Downing Street, says all three branches of the military are “running to stand still” as they struggle to replace the numbers leaving.
Labour MP Kevan Jones, a former defence minister, added: “These worrying figures show either complete incompetence in recruiting or a deliberate attempt to hold it back to balance the defence budget.”
An Army spokesman said: “The Army has the manpower, skills, experience, equipment and resource that it needs to meet all of its operational demands, international obligations, and keep the country safe. Resilience is built in to its structures.”