The number of EU citizens working in the UK increased in the year after the EU Referendum vote but the pace of the growth is at its slowest in more than four years, according to data from the Office of National Statistics.

Figures from ONS showed that there were an estimated 2.35 million overseas employees from the EU in the period from October to December 2017. This was an increase of 101,000 compared to the same period in 2016 and the smallest year-on-year rise recorded since July-September 2013.

Jonathan Portes, Professor of Economics at King's College London, commented on the figures, "Since the EU referendum, the number of people from elsewhere in the EU working in the UK has been broadly flat. That doesn't suggest a 'Brexodus' but this is consistent with the immigration statistics which show that even before Brexit net migration from the EU has fallen sharply. And this in turn accounts for some of the growing pressures on NHS staffing, agriculture and other sectors that rely on migrant workers."

Alp Mehmet, Vice Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said the figures show "yet another increase in the number of EU migrant workers in the UK".

"There is no sign whatsoever of EU workers abandoning the UK. Indeed, this illustrates the need for a major decrease in immigration and Brexit is the opportunity to achieve it,” Mehmet said.

Meanwhile, the number of Romanians and Bulgarians working in the UK has risen to the highest level on record. The number of workers from 14 long-term member states including Germany, Italy, Spain and France also went up, from 935,000 in October-December 2016 to 1,014,000 in the fourth quarter of last year.

ONS figures also showed a decrease in the number of overseas workers from the rest of the world. Data showed there were 1.17 million non-EU nationals working in the UK in October to December, 68,000 fewer than a year earlier.

“Today’s figures will be very worrying for businesses,” Tom Hadley, Director of Policy at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, said. “This latest drop in the number of EU workers coming into the country will put a further strain on employers. We are already battling with skills shortages and this is a challenge for the whole labour market, at both graduate and non-graduate level. 

“Government can’t ignore any longer that Brexit is having an effect on the workforce,” Hadley said. “We urgently have to turn things around and make sure that EU workers still want to come to the UK. Employers need clarity so they can plan for the future and be able to invest in the growth of their businesses. We urge the government to come up with a post-Brexit immigration strategy that is based on evidence and will give businesses access to the workers they rely on. And this needs to include temporary and seasonal workers.”