The UK has become less attractive as a destination for international talent, according to LinkedIn’s April UK Workforce Report. In the first quarter, the UK lost more professionals to the 27-member EU than it gained from them. Migration has been steadily falling since the UK voted for Brexit, and LinkedIn’s data found that the number of professionals arriving to the UK from the EU27 has decreased by 26% over the last year. The report also includes insights from a survey of more than 600 recruiters and HR professionals.

In addition to seeing a reduction in the number of EU27 professionals relocating to the UK, LinkedIn found a 20% reduction in the number of professionals migrating from the rest of the world to the UK over the last year. This is supported by the experiences of recruiters, as nearly a third of recruiters, 28%, believe that the UK has become less attractive to candidates from the rest of the world.

The recruiters surveyed noted decreases in hiring from the major EU markets: 37% have seen a decrease in hires from Italy over the last quarter, 35% have seen a decrease in hires from France and Germany, and there are similar observations about other countries such as The Netherlands at 32%, Spain at 29%, Ireland at 24%, and other EU27 states at 33%.

Almost all recruiters surveyed, 96%, think Brexit is impacting hiring strategies, with 44% thinking that the UK is less attractive to EU27 candidates because of Brexit, based on conversations with candidates.

Other key insights from the report include:

• Fewer international professionals are moving to the UK. In addition to seeing a reduction in the number of EU27 professionals relocating to the UK, in the number of professionals migrating from the rest of the world to the UK over the last year declined 20%. This is supported by the experiences of recruiters, as nearly a third of recruiters, 28%, believe that the UK has become less attractive to candidates from the rest of the world.
• London is the region most impacted by the Brexit vote. Since the referendum, the net inflow of EU27 talent into London has been declining – and now more people are leaving London to relocate to the EU27 than vice versa. This is substantiated by the experiences of recruiters in the capital, with 54% saying that it is having a “big” or “huge” impact on hiring. LinkedIn’s data has also found that domestic migration is not filling the gap left by the reduction in international talent.
• Hiring fell in the regions. March saw an overall decrease in the number of hires made, continuing the downward trend since January. The overall rate was down 1.2% compared with February, with 5% reductions in both the North East and North West and a 10% reduction in Wales down, perhaps a result of the heavy snowfall these regions experienced in March. London also saw a decrease for the second month in a row, down by a further 2% in March.

The monthly LinkedIn Workforce Report provides insights drawn from the data of more than 24 million LinkedIn members in the UK, which represents more than 70% of the working age population. The data shows the extent to which hiring is increasing or decreasing across the UK, its regions, and industries, and where workers are moving to and from.