Brexit triggers spike in UK people seeking jobs in Ireland

Fears of a "hard" Brexit have led to a spike in the number of UK people seeking jobs in Ireland.

In the 100 days since the June referendum, UK searches for jobs in Ireland on Indeed. com, the world's largest recruitment site, have risen by 20 per cent.

Ireland has also gained in popularity as a destination for jobseekers from other EU countries, with searches up 13 per cent.

Many believe Ireland is poised to take advantage of the UK’s decision to vote in favour of Brexit with firms likely to relocate here if the UK exits the common market.

However, the likely gains must also be weighed against the possible negative impact on trade, with the current slide in sterling already hurting exporters

The Indeed website recorded a 250 per cent jump in UK searches for jobs in Ireland in the immediate 24 hours after the June vote.

The figures also showed that on a four-week moving average basis the increase has been sustained in the long term, and was higher at the end of September than in the immediate four weeks following the vote.

Jobseekers from the EU, excluding the UK, now account for over 9 per cent of searches on Indeed.ie, up from 7 per cent prior to the referendum, an increase of 13 per cent.

Well placed

“We now see that the increase in people looking at jobs outside the UK post-Brexit is both sustained and increasing,” said

Mariano Mamertino

,

Europe

, the Middle East and

Africa

(EMEA) economist with Indeed.

“As the only English-speaking EU member, with the fastest growth rate and flexible labour markets, Ireland is well placed to attract these labour flows and potentially additional foreign direct investment.

“British prime minister Theresa May’s confirmation of the date to trigger article 50 by the end of March 2017 now makes a ‘hard Brexit’ look more likely, and some of the commentary on immigrant labour from UK cabinet members could unnerve foreign workers and make them consider other options, thereby driving a further spike in October.”

The Indeed analysis of millions of searches made by UK-based jobseekers also reveals it is not only Ireland where they are looking for jobs.

Searches for jobs in Australia were 13 per cent higher in the 100 days following the referendum, while there were also notable increases in searches for jobs in Canada, Germany and the EU as a whole.