Responding to official migration statistics, showing long-term immigration to the UK for work has fallen to its lowest level since 2014, Tej Parikh, Senior Economist at the Institute of Directors, said:

“With job vacancies at record highs, recruiting from abroad has never been more crucial for British businesses. Flexible and hassle-free access to international skillsets is part and parcel of having a globally competitive skills regime, so adjusting to the Government's post-Brexit immigration agenda, with its new restrictions, will present some challenges.

“Already, firms across the retail, hospitality and construction sectors are facing obstacles as some EU workers are returning home, while it’s also becoming harder to attract labour from Europe amidst the uncertain political climate. Larger organisations have looked to hire from further afield to compensate, despite the additional paper work, but this can be harder for many resource-constrained SMEs.

“Businesses will be hoping immigration policy moves beyond political footballing and realises the importance of international workers, of all skillsets, for our Industrial Strategy.”