According to new research from LinkedIn, the online professional network, the UK’s decision to leave the EU risks damaging the UK’s access to top talent in Europe.

The figures from LinkedIn show that migration from the EU’s 27 member states accounted for 40% of all professional migration into the UK since January 2013, followed by 17% from North America and 14% from Asia.

The UK’s Professional Services sector is the most reliant on professional migration from the EU, followed by Technology, and Financial Services and Insurance respectively.

The data also finds that EU workers are 50% more likely to be working in the UK’s Professional Services industry compared to the general UK professional population.  This is 30% more for Technology and 20% for Financial Services and Insurance.

‘‘There has already been a lot of debate about the impact of Brexit on blue-collar workers, but British businesses also face a very real white-collar skills gap that they need to start thinking about,” Josh Graff, UK country manager at LinkedIn, said.

“Our findings are clear: UK companies need to prepare themselves for a more difficult talent market, and may want to start looking at how they can develop more talent at home, or cast the net further. The USA and Australia already account for over a fifth of professional migration to the UK, so they are a good place to start,” Graff said.

London mayor Sadiq Khan is pushing for a specialist visa system for London, to ensure businesses in the capital - where the majority of professional services, finance and technology jobs are based - retain their access to talent from Europe.