Brexit brushes away CE workers from the UK

The number of workers employed from EU countries has dropped by 132,000 in the last year, reports the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is the highest decrease since 1997, when the research began.

The largest changes have been noted among workers from the so called A8 group – the eight Central-Eastern European countries which joined the EU in 2004. In the last twelve months, their number decreased by 154,000. This may be proof of the foreseen wave of emigration from the UK due to the uncertainty resulting from Brexit. 

The UK’s decision to leave the EU has slowly presented the country as less attractive to live and work in

The number of workers employed from the remaining EU states has seen a minimal increase (22,000). This is mainly due to the migration of 16,000 people from Romania and Bulgaria.

Professional associations have been warning for months, that the sectors of healthcare, nursing and production will be those most heavily impacted by emigration due to Brexit. The UK’s decision to leave the EU has slowly presented the country as less attractive to live and work in. 

The Nursing and Midwifery Council has reported that between April 2017 and March 2018, 3,900 people had resigned (a 29 percent increase compared to the previous year). The number of new registrations has also dramatically decreased – from 6,300 to 805. 

The exact estimates of foreigners, including Poles, living in the UK will be published by the end of November. According to last year’s statistics, just over 1 million Poles lived in the UK with 3.2 million EU citizens living there overall.