The number of EU workers seeking employment in the UK has “plummeted”, according to new figures.
CV-Library, which published the report, found that the number of EU nationals applying for jobs in the UK fell by almost 50 per cent in some member states over the last three years.
Figures show that the number of Belgians looking for work fell by 48 per cent between 2016 and 2017, while in Slovenia searches fell by 27 per cent.
There was also a 22 per cent fall in the Netherlands, and a 20 per cent dip in the number of searches coming from Romania.
The average fall across all member states was 4.3 per cent, it added.
That’s because some member states actually recorded an increase in interest in working in the UK. Compared to the year previous, traffic from Latvia grew 26 per cent, along with Cyprus (nine per cent), Finland (9.6 per cent), Spain (eight per cent), and Malta (7.8 per cent).
Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said: “Our data brings to light the concerns amongst EU workers around Brexit, with those living in other European countries clearly pulling back the reigns on their UK job applications.
“Despite a lack of clarification on what is actually going to happen, Brexit appears to have understandably made foreign staff think twice about coming to the country and this is sparking fears amongst businesses.
“After-all, we do not have enough talent in the UK to meet demand right now and this is putting pressure on organisations to think more strategically about overcoming their recruitment challenges.
“This could mean a range of options: from being more creative with their job adverts and where they post them, to looking for people that have experience in different industries and honing in on school leavers and graduates.”