Indeed says its analysis shows that searches for foreign jobs spiked by 25% compared to the previous Friday immediately the result of the exit poll predicting a large Conservative majority was announced. 

The destinations that saw the biggest rise in job searches were: Canada 111%; Ireland 44%; Italy 32%; Germany 28%; Australia 20%; and Poland 20%. The data mirrors similar responses by jobseekers picked up by Indeed following the EU referendum result in June 2016, although in that case the rise in searches for jobs overseas was significantly greater at 73%.

Pawel Adrjan, economist at Indeed, said: “It seems UK-based jobseekers were paying close attention to the election result not just for news about their local candidates but to help inform career choices, too.

“Interestingly, the countries that saw the biggest increases were Canada and Ireland, English-speaking countries with strong ties to the UK. However, there were also large rises in searches for jobs in other European countries, which suggests foreign workers in the UK could be looking to work on the continent or could be returning home.

“These non-UK citizens could also be concerned about their immigration status after the Brexit transition period due to end in December 2020. Overall, these trends are concerning for public and private-sector employers struggling to find hires in today’s tight labour market.”

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