According to the job site, Indeed, despite the uncertainty around Brexit it has so far barely dented the UK’s ability to attract high-skilled tech professionals from abroad.
Figures show that one in 10 enquiries about currently available British tech jobs comes from jobseekers outside the UK. Tech-related roles are especially popular among non-EU jobseekers, and three of the four most in-demand UK jobs among high-skilled global jobseekers are in technology.
The four tech roles in the 10 most popular jobs being sought by skilled non-EU workers - SAP consultant, iOS developer, Android developer and Java developer - pay an average salary of almost £52,000. For all four, India accounts for more candidates than any other country.
India’s emergence as an IT superpower has produced large numbers of highly-skilled tech professionals, on whom Britain’s booming, £184bn tech sector has become increasingly reliant. Indeed’s data reveals that a fifth of Indian jobseekers enquiring about UK jobs during the first nine months of 2018 were interested in tech jobs.
Jobseekers from the EU remain predominantly interested in skilled but lower paid roles in the UK, such as language teaching, international sales and translator jobs.
However, the government’s pledge to extend the same visa rules to EU citizens post-Brexit could mean many Europeans fall foul of the eligibility criteria, raising the prospect of skilled Europeans eschewing a post-Brexit UK in favour of EU economies where they can work more easily..
According to PawelAdrjan, an economist at Indeed, “Britain’s tech sector is a magnet for global talent. Its popularity among non-EU jobseekers could provide a valuable Brexit hedge, as the ability of non-Europeans to apply for work in Britain will be unaffected by the UK’s departure from the EU. That will provide some reassurance for Britain’s tech employers."
He warns that the government’s plan to level the playing field for EU and non-EU workers seeking to come the UK after Brexit could end up interrupting the supply of Europeans looking for skilled but lower-paid jobs and a short fall in applicants is unlikely to be filled by British applicants.
