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Expat professionals rejecting Brexit Britain
| Published: | 12 Sep at 6 PM |
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A recent survey has confirmed the UK is now one of the worst world destinations for expat professionals.
Since the shock result of the 2016 Brexit referendum, migration to the UK from European Union member states has fallen to its lowest point in six years, with net migration also dropping from its previously high levels. Unfortunately, it’s the highly skilled and experienced expat professionals who’re now choosing to further their careers elsewhere on the planet. According to the latest Expat Insider survey results, the UK is now near the bottom of its ‘best countries for expats’ rankings.
Britain’s 59th position in the survey’s 68 listed countries shows the UK is being caught between a rock and a hard place as regards expat labour, with qualified expats packing their bags and leaving and vastly reduced numbers of skilled, qualified and experienced expatriates arriving to take up jobs or start businesses. Reasons for the exodus range from increasing prejudice against foreigners through the threat of soaring post-Brexit inflation to simply not knowing what expats’ legal status will be after the end of March next year. The unending political chaos surrounding the UK’s EU divorce is also a reason why new arrivals have dwindled to a trickle.
In the survey, some 20 per cent of respondents said they didn’t feel at home and believed they never would, quoting examples of how prejudice and extremist behaviour have increased since the referendum. One respondent said the UK's former open, welcoming pre-referendum stance has completely changed, causing him to decide to leave before it got any worse. Other unpleasant realities of present-day life in the UK included the soaring cost of living, the high cost of childcare, poor educational standards and sky-high university fees. Inevitably, many respondents mentioned the typical UK weather of rain, more rain and gloomy, grey days.
Since the shock result of the 2016 Brexit referendum, migration to the UK from European Union member states has fallen to its lowest point in six years, with net migration also dropping from its previously high levels. Unfortunately, it’s the highly skilled and experienced expat professionals who’re now choosing to further their careers elsewhere on the planet. According to the latest Expat Insider survey results, the UK is now near the bottom of its ‘best countries for expats’ rankings.
Britain’s 59th position in the survey’s 68 listed countries shows the UK is being caught between a rock and a hard place as regards expat labour, with qualified expats packing their bags and leaving and vastly reduced numbers of skilled, qualified and experienced expatriates arriving to take up jobs or start businesses. Reasons for the exodus range from increasing prejudice against foreigners through the threat of soaring post-Brexit inflation to simply not knowing what expats’ legal status will be after the end of March next year. The unending political chaos surrounding the UK’s EU divorce is also a reason why new arrivals have dwindled to a trickle.
In the survey, some 20 per cent of respondents said they didn’t feel at home and believed they never would, quoting examples of how prejudice and extremist behaviour have increased since the referendum. One respondent said the UK's former open, welcoming pre-referendum stance has completely changed, causing him to decide to leave before it got any worse. Other unpleasant realities of present-day life in the UK included the soaring cost of living, the high cost of childcare, poor educational standards and sky-high university fees. Inevitably, many respondents mentioned the typical UK weather of rain, more rain and gloomy, grey days.
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