UK’s loss could be Ireland’s talent gain, as jobseekers react to the Brexit announcement, according to data from global job search engine Indeed.

Job searches out of the UK spiked in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit referendum results, in which the UK voted in favour of leaving the European Union. From the announcement of the result on the morning of Friday 24th June, job searches out of the UK doubled as a share of those searching. The UK’s loss could be Ireland’s gain, as it tops the league of countries UK jobseekers are searching for work in. Job search for roles in Ireland rose by more than double. Job search traffic also increased from EU countries to Ireland, at the expense of usual EU to UK job search traffic. 

The top searches from the UK to Ireland were for sectors including: Marketing, HR, Engineering, Transport and Retail. Searches by UK job seekers to other European countries also include roles in Hospitality and Finance sectors. There is a striking resemblance in this trend compared to 2015’s Greek referendum: the share of Greek jobseekers looking for opportunity outside of Greece also doubled in the days following the announcement of a referendum on the European Union’s proposed bailout package in July 2015. 

Commenting on the patterns, Mariano Mamertino, economist for EMEA at job site Indeed, said: “Last week the majority of British citizens voted to exit the European Union, but quickly thereafter many UK-based job seekers started a vote of their own: they jumped online to look for work elsewhere. Using Indeed data, we see the share of job seekers looking for opportunities outside of the UK in European countries doubling in the 48 hours that followed the announcement of a Brexit.” 

“Most job seekers looked to the very countries of the European Union that Britain will be leaving, with Ireland attracting the most searches. But job search didn’t just stay in Europe, as UK-based job search rose 73% for the rest of the world too, to countries like the US and Australia.” 

He continued: “We see a striking resemblance in post-Brexit job search patterns with those following the Greek referendum in 2015. The share of job seekers looking for opportunities outside of the UK in European countries doubled in the 48 hours that followed the announcement of a Brexit, just as it did for Greece. 

“These could be early signs of British job seekers’ collective vote of no confidence. Given how close the EU referendum vote results were, this is perhaps unsurprising. UK employers’ loss is Ireland’s gain, with a significant spike of inbound searches from the EU countries — could Ireland overtake the UK as a leading talent magnet? 

He adds: “Cities like Dublin and Berlin are increasingly becoming talent magnet cities to EU jobseekers – attracting attention on account of being in great locations, offering a good quality of life, and crucially – a lower cost of living when compared to cities like London.”

“UK employers have historically benefitted from the ability to recruit talent from overseas, and many Britons have seized the opportunity to live and work in other EU countries. While it’s unlikely that the shutters will suddenly be brought down on the English Channel, the free movement of workers has clear economic benefits – and it’s essential that British businesses can continue to be able to get the people they need to fill the jobs available. What is clear from this data, is that if Brexit is allowed to interrupt the flow of talent to the UK, Britain’s loss will be Ireland’s gain if skilled workers are lured by its dynamic and English-speaking labour market.”