The Brexit referendum in 2016 was notable for many things, but few more so than the clear age divide in the voting. Whereas older voters were more uniformly in favor of leaving the European Union, their young compatriots were uniformly in favor of remaining.
It is perhaps understandable, therefore, that new data from professional services firm Adecco reveals a similarly stark divide between young and old when it comes to their plans to remain in the UK to work.
The research reveals that while one in three 16-35-year-olds are considering leaving the UK to work elsewhere in Europe, that figure falls to just 24% for those aged over 55. This divide was especially pronounced among Londoners, for whom 40% said they are considering moving elsewhere in Europe for work. The common theme among all of those with such desires is to avoid the uncertainty caused by both leaving the EU and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Brexit brain drain
“After a difficult year across the board these research findings reveal the true scale of the talent challenge UK companies face,” Adecco says. “Even with a Brexit deal and the vaccine rollout underway, the high levels of uncertainty are leading young people in particular to look outside the UK and London for work.”
The figures are particularly worrying because the footloose tend to be focused most intently on knowledge-intensive industries where location is less of a competitive advantage. The findings mirror those from a previous study from the University of Oxford, which highlighted the potential drain of talent from science and academia.
“For destination countries of the European Union, Brexit-induced collective uncertainty marks a significant rise in arrivals of British citizens, which is, in some cases, large enough to alter a country’s immigrant composition, especially with regard to linguistics background and education levels,” the researchers say. “The uncertain situation also prolongs migration episodes, with many Brits making their move permanent by acquiring citizenship rights of their destination countries.”
After analyzing data from the OECD and Eurostat, the researchers reveal that migration away from the UK towards the EU increased by 30% compared to before Brexit, with the number of British citizens obtaining EU member state passports growing by 500% across the continent, and by a whopping 2000% in Germany.
The authors believe this is clearly a result of Brexit, as migration flows across the rest of the EU has remained stable across the same period. They believe the results clearly show that many UK citizens are making long-term migration decisions to insulate themselves from the negative effects of Brexit.
Given the difficulties in changing course on such a momentous decision, the Adecco team believes that the best strategy is to focus on maintaining as positive a workplace culture as possible. This could include benefits such as mentorship programs and flexible working, as well as investing far more in employee development than is currently the case. The ultimate goal is to create a compelling reason for people to stay.
