Brexodus returns with UK workers seeking jobs in other EU countries rises

According to new research

As the Brexit countdown clock ticked past the ‘one year to go’ point, the number of UK workers planning a move to the EU returned to its post-referendum high, according to new data from Indeed, the world’s largest job site.

In the immediate aftermath of the referendum result on June 24, 2016, the number of UK jobseekers looking for roles in other EU countries soared as thousands of Britons explored their options following the Leave campaign’s surprise victory.

With the UK due to leave the EU in March 2019, the first quarter of 2018 saw British searches for jobs in the EU climb again – reaching a level 15.2% higher than that recorded in the pre-referendum first quarter of 2016.

This latest increase takes the interest in EU jobs back to levels seen in the chaotic days immediately after the UK voted to leave the EU, and rekindles fears of a ‘Brexodus’ of talented workers to the continent.

While the spike seen in the days following the 2016 referendum quickly subsided, the steady increases seen in 2017 and 2018 hint at a more significant, sustained trend.

Proximity appears to be be a key driver in jobseekers’ choice of destinations. Ireland was the most popular country, attracting 21.4% of searches, followed by France with 17.5%. Spain, which already has a sizeable British community, attracted 12.8% of searches, while Germany lured11.7% and Italy 8.2%.

Tara Sinclair, economist and senior fellow at Indeed, comments: “Brexit has dominated the UK’s national conversation for two years and nowhere is this more keenly observed than in the labour market.

“A ‘Brexodus’ is once again a very real possibility. While the initial spike in Britons’ searches for EU jobs might be dismissed as a knee-jerk reaction – inspired by either curiosity or panic – 2018’s steady and sustained return to those levels suggests more Britons are thinking more seriously about a move to elsewhere in the EU.

“Job search patterns give us a strong indication of workers’ future movements – making them especially helpful in these uncertain pre-Brexit times.

“What our figures, combined with our research for the IIEP, strongly suggest is that there could be a lot of movement out of the UK in the next year, with every indication that Brexit will have long-term implications on the UK labour supply.”