Good morning.
The scale of the aviation sector’s staff shortages has been laid bare after one airline asked its executives to haul luggage.
Qantas has written to bosses at head offices looking for 100 volunteers to leave their office jobs for three months and handle bags instead.
They’re being asked to load and unload luggage, as well as to drive vehicles that carry bags between planes and terminals. Applicants must be able to move suitcases weighing as much as 32kg.
Meanwhile, the boss of JetBlue has said the US budget airline is having to over-hire staff due to the pace at which people are leaving the industry.
It comes as the sector grapples with widespread staff shortages as companies struggle to cope with a sharp rebound in demand after the pandemic.
5 things to start your day
1) Britain really isn’t working – and the collapsing NHS is to blame – Economic inactivity has risen in the UK despite falling in most of the developed world
2) Generation rent ‘failed by the Government on housing’ – Redrow boss issues warning after Truss and Sunak vow to ditch housing targets
3) Vegetable shortage looms as Europe battles heatwave – Lack of water and shipping chaos mean shoppers will have less choice
4) Why Europe is suffering a worse inflation crisis than Britain – The UK is suffering less inflation than the average EU nation
5) Amazon workers plot wave of strikes as pay row escalates – Company struck by spontaneous walkouts last week
What happened overnight
Stocks dropped in Hong Kong this morning, with the Hang Seng Index dipping 0.7pc.
The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.4pc and the Shenzhen Composite Index on China’s second exchange also eased 0.4pc.
Tokyo stocks traded within a narrow range. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index opened low, but then trended up 0.2pc. The broader Topix index trimmed losses and was off 0.06pc.
Coming up today
Corporate: Clarkson, PageGroup (interim results)