Several sectors of the UK economy that were once reliant on EU workers now have a preponderance of non-EU workers, an analysis by the Guardian newspaper has found.
The study found there were 2.7 million non-EU workers in the UK last year, and 2.5 million EU workers.
Sectors such as accommodation and food services, admin, and wholesale, retail and vehicle repair – once relatively dependent on EU workers – have now shifted to non-EU and British employees, the analysis revealed.
The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector still depended on EU workers, found the study, but had seen a significant decline from the 23% EU workers employed before the pandemic, and an increase to 6% from 3% of non-EU workers.
The introduction of new visas and the relaxing of post-study work rules for international students since Brexit were among the factors driving the rise in non-EU labour but, according to experts at Oxford University’s Migration Observatory, the arrival of former Hong Kong and Ukraine residents had created a labour pool for low-wage industries in a way that wasn’t envisaged under the Brexit prospectus.
Net migration
Net migration rises to new record
High levels of immigration will be ‘the norm’ in the UK
Prior to 2020 two-thirds of foreign workers in the hospitality and administrative services sectors were EU citizens, as well as half of those in wholesale, vehicle retail and repair, and the mining sector. But HMRC data shows they now make up less than half of non-UK-born workers.
Non-EU workers now make up 55% of the total in the real estate industry and the professional and scientific sector, whereas before 2020 the international workforce was 50:50.
In manufacturing and arts and entertainment industries there were more EU citizens than non-EU but the ratio is changing towards non-EU. In health, the proportion of non-EU foreign workers rose from 10% of the total workforce in 2019 to 14% in December 2022.
Margaret Sumption at the Migration Observatory said that, contrary to pre-Brexit forecasts, “more non-EU citizens have come to the UK in non-work routes that allow them to work in any job … and perhaps also [there is recruitment of] family members of visa holders or international students, who are allowed to work part-time during their studies”.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
Jonathan Portes, professor of economics at King’s College London, tweeted that the Guardian’s data, gleaned from HMRC, was likely to be more comprehensive than the labour market data used by other organisations to determine migrant labour patterns.
Latest HR job opportunities on Personnel Today
Browse more human resources jobs
