The REC is calling on the government to ensure impartial advice is paramount when developing future UK immigration policy in a post-Brexit world.

The call comes in a list of recommendations to government following research released by the REC today, in the week government published a 15-page document outlining plans giving 3.2m residents from the EU "effectively" the same rights as UK citizens post-Brexit.

The REC has today published analysis of how the 2.2m EU nationals currently working in the UK contribute by sector and region, in partnership with the Migration Policy Institute and immigration law firm Fragomen. 

The research reveals:

• EU nationals represent 7% of the total UK workforce, though reliance is higher in sectors such as manufacturing (11% of the workforce/319,300 workers), retail and hospitality (9%/520,100 workers) and construction (8%/192,400 workers)
• The proportion of EU workers is much higher in specific industries, including food processing (33% of the workforce/116,400 workers), domestic personnel (26%/15,700 workers) and warehousing (18%/64,900 workers)
• EU nationals make up 17% of the workforce in London, including a third of its construction workers (33%) and a fifth (21%) of its retail and hospitality workers. The financial and business service sector is the largest employer of EU nationals in the capital, with 191,400 employees, or 16% of the workforce.

Based on the findings, the REC has outlined 21 recommendations in a report, released alongside the research, to government including:

• Granting greater independence and autonomy to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), to inform policy and establish evidence-based targets
• The development of a five-year roadmap for the implementation of new immigration policy which avoids a ‘cliff-edge’ when the UK leaves the EU, providing clarity for business
• Building a visa system that reflects the UK’s dependency on workers from the EU for a wide variety of roles, including provisions for seasonal and temporary workers.

Commenting further, REC CEO Kevin Green said decisions about the UK’s immigration system post-Brexit needs to be based on “sound” evidence and data rather than “political whim”.

“This report is a significant contribution to the critical debate on immigration. It shows that businesses need access to people to deliver growth, and that the current UK workforce alone cannot meet demand.

“Designing the post-Brexit immigration system is an enormous task and it cannot happen only in Whitehall. Recruiters are on the frontline of the labour market, and we are ready to work with the government to design and deliver policies that will help the country prosper.”

• Want to comment on this story? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us below to tell us your thoughts. We will run comments online in a round-up at the end of the week.

Email story to a friend