The UK would face a skills shortage if they decide to leave the European Union because employers will not be able to replace migrant workers quickly, according to Manpower UK.

The decision of whether or not to leave the European Union will take place during the EU Referendum on 23 June.

Manpower’s Employment Outlook Survey stated that employers relied on the free movement of people inside Europe to meet much of their staffing requirements, with figures showing that more than 200,000 jobs created in the last year were filled by EU migrants.

“We simply won’t be able to replace overnight the skills these people bring to the UK if we were to leave the EU and our economy will suffer. Unemployment is at its lowest level since 2006. It’s unrealistic to suggest there’s enough slack in the labour market to fill these jobs”, James Hick, Managing Director ManpowerGroup Solutions, said.

Manpower said some major UK employers have already warned of switching high quality jobs from the UK to other countries in the event of Brexit, a term coined in the even that the UK leaves the EU.

The Manpower survey of 2,100 employers found that hiring intentions for the coming months were at their strongest level since 2007.