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EU staff feeling unwelcome and packing bags shows new survey

Monday 11 December 2017

EU staff feeling unwelcome and packing bags shows new survey

Some 14 percent of London businesses with EU staff have already lost members of their workforce despite Friday’s progress in Brexit talks, according to a new survey.

Now London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), which commissioned the survey has called on the Government to help redress the issue with further positive talks and encourage EU workers to stay in the UK.

The poll of more than 500 businesses found that of businesses who employ EU staff:

  • 32% report non-UK EU staff have expressed concerns about whether they and their families will be allowed to stay in the UK after Brexit.
  • 29% report some of their non-UK EU staff have felt less welcome to live and work in the UK following the decision to leave the EU.
  • 14% report some of their non-UK EU staff have left the country as a result of the decision to leave the EU.

Two thirds of larger businesses (66%) say that they employ non-UK EU staff, and of those who do two in five (41%) say that some of these employees have expressed concerns about whether they and their families will be allowed to stay in the UK after Brexit.

Chief Executive of LCCI, Colin Stanbridge said: “We have been warning about this issue ever since the referendum result and we can see that it is already happening.

“Although Friday’s breakthrough is a relief in some ways, we don’t know if the staff that have gone will return and if they don’t who will plug that gap.

“Employees want certainty and so do the businesses that employee them

“That means that it is now more important than ever that we get to grips with how immigration will work part of which we believe is for London to have it’s own Shortage Occupation list to ensure that we have the right skills and the enough staff to be able to continue as an attractive and globally competitive city.”


END

Media contact
Katharine Barney
T: +44 (0)20 7203 1897                         
M: +44 (0)7827 241528
E: kbarney@londonchamber.co.uk
 

NOTES TO EDITOR:

  1. London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is the capital’s largest and most representative business organisation, with members ranging in size from multi-national companies to SMEs and sole traders.
  2. Colin Stanbridge, chief executive is available for further comment and interview.
  3. ComRes survey for LCCI of 577 London businesses, weighted to be representative of all London businesses by company size and broad industry sector, between 2 and 27 November 2017