The variety of EU residents shifting to the UK has plummeted post-Brexit amid tighter visa necessities, a brand new report says.
Simply 43,000 folks from EU member states acquired visas for work, examine, household or different functions in 2021, accounting for 5 per cent of all visas granted that yr.
It is a sharp decline in comparison with the 230,000 to 430,000 visas granted to EU residents within the six years as much as March 2020, based on figures from the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics.
Since Brexit the UK has launched a points-based immigration system that units a minimal wage that potential staff should earn.
A examine by the Migration Observatory on the College of Oxford and ReWage, a gaggle of labour market specialists, discovered the top of freedom of motion with the EU had "exacerbated" Britain's labour shortages.
However the report additionally identifies different drivers corresponding to larger job turnover because the Covid pandemic and fewer exercise amongst folks aged over 50.
Round 40 per cent of visas granted to EU residents in 2021 have been for college students, whereas an additional quarter went to "expert staff" — these paid not less than £26,500 (€31,400) per yr.
The UK's agriculture and hospitality industries have seen the most important fall in jobs held by EU staff — dropping by round 1 / 4 in each sectors between June 2019 to June 2021.
In the meantime the development trade has seen a 13 per cent rise in such workers over the identical interval.
Nonetheless, solely round 2,600 British employers employed not less than one EU employee in 2021, with bigger firms more likely to offer the required sponsorship for a visa software.
The report concludes there may be "some proof" that Brexit and the top of free motion contributed to labour shortages within the UK.
"Whereas there may be some proof that the top of free motion has contributed to shortages in some areas of the UK labour market, it's on no account the one driver," mentioned Professor Chris Forde of the College of Leeds.
"The truth is, recruiting difficulties usually are not distinctive to the UK and a number of other different nations have skilled excessive emptiness charges post-pandemic," he added.
The report suggests increasing visa eligibility for low-wage jobs to handle gaps within the UK's labour market.
It additionally recommends decreasing administrative necessities or charges for British employers trying to rent EU staff.
EU residents face tighter visa restrictions because the UK left the EU in January 2021, which ended freedom of motion with the bloc.
The UK launched a point-based immigration system, which units a minimal standards for any non-British residents wanting to stay within the nation for greater than six months.
Most individuals wishing to work within the UK should meet minimal wage necessities and have a minimal B1 English language degree.
College students should receive a visa to remain for greater than six months and usually should depart the UK after their course finishes.
Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory on the College of Oxford, mentioned: “Whereas it's clear that ending free motion has made it more durable for employers in low-wage industries to recruit workers, altering immigration coverage to handle shortages brings its personal set of challenges.
"Low-wage work visa schemes are notoriously troublesome to police and infrequently open staff as much as exploitation and abuse."
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