Net migration to the UK from other EU countries has reached its lowest level since 2012, according to data from the Office of National Statistics.

The data found that EU net migration continued to decline from the peak in the year ending June 2016 (+189,000) to +87,000 in the year ending March 2018, its lowest level since 2012.

ONS added that the estimated number of EU citizens coming to the UK to work has continued to decrease. The main decrease between 2016 and 2017 was in EU citizens looking for work, but much of the most recent decrease can be accounted for by a fall in the number coming to the UK for a definite job over the last year, particularly citizens of EU15 countries (the 15 countries in the EU prior to the 2004 EU expansion).

Overall, 270,000 more people came to the UK than left in the year ending March 2018, so long-term net migration has continued to add to the UK population. Net migration has been broadly stable since peak levels seen in 2015 and 2016.

“Much of the recent fall is in people from the western European countries that make up the 'EU15' group coming to the UK for a definite job. Previously we had seen a decline in the number of EU citizens coming who were looking for work, however, this seems to have stabilized,” Nicola Rogers, Centre for Migration, Office for National Statistics, said. 

Recruitment & Employment Confederation director of policy Tom Hadley, commented, “The UK labour market is already tight with employers and recruiters struggling to fill vacancies across a range of sectors. Today’s immigration figures show that the UK is still attracting fewer EU nationals here to work than before the referendum, a decline to the lowest level in nearly 5 years.”

“Ongoing uncertainty on what the exit deal with the EU will look like and a weaker pound are contributing to making the UK less appealing to EU workers to come here and work,” Hadley continued. “For our jobs market to thrive, UK employers need a comprehensive mobility and migration deal with the EU post-Brexit to ensure that private and public sector organisations can continue to secure the permanent, temporary and seasonal workers they need to be successful.”

‘The UK immigration system shouldn’t be based on arbitrary quotas, but based on the contribution individual workers come to make,” Hadley said. “Severely reducing the number of EU workers coming to the UK will make British firms less competitive which will dampen growth and limit national prosperity for us all.”

Earlier this month, the ONS published data which found that in the period between April and June 2018, the number of EU nationals working in the UK saw its biggest drop since 1997.