Member Article

Brexit: Worries for professional services talent as Khan pushes for London visa

The UK risks a Brexit-induced ‘white collar skills gap’ if the free movement of EU workers into the country is curbed following exit negotiations.

Figures released today by LinkedIn show that migration from the EU’s 27 member states accounted for 40% of all professional migration into the UK since January 2013, followed by 17% from North America and 14% from Asia.

The online platform’s professional migration data, which has been derived from anonymous profile information, also identified the sectors that are most likely to be affected by Brexit with professional services, technology and finance all expected to be hardest hit by any brakes on EU migration.

The data found that EU workers were 50% more likely to be working in professional services than the general UK population, 30% more likely to be working in tech and 20% more in financial services and finance.

Josh Graff, UK Country Manager at LinkedIn, said that the prospect of a ‘white-collar skills gap’ had been overshadowed by the impact of Brexit on workers in blue collar industries, and warned that firms need to be prepared to cast their nets further for talent.

He said: ’’There has already been a lot of debate about the impact of Brexit on blue-collar workers, but British businesses also face a very real white-collar skills gap that they need to start thinking about.

“Our findings are clear: UK companies need to prepare themselves for a more difficult talent market, and may want to start looking at how they can develop more talent at home, or cast the net further. The USA and Australia already account for over a fifth of professional migration to the UK, so they are a good place to start.’’

The figures underline the potential talent drain that Brexit could entail for London as some of its most pivotal sectors are denied access to their biggest labour market.

It comes after it was revealed that Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was working on proposals for a London-only visa so that the city can continue to attract the world-class talent it needs.

Speaking to Sky News earlier this week, Khan said that City Hall had already held discussions with prominent government figures about the viability of a work permit system exclusively for the capital.

He said: “We are talking to business leaders, businesses, business representatives to see what we can do to make sure London doesn’t lose out on the talent, the innovation and the partnership that has let us be the greatest city in the world.”