More than half of university-educated EU staff employed by major British companies are considering leaving the UK before Brexit becomes a reality, according to a new survey.

Brexit brain drain from the UK

Amid mounting concerns of a brain drain because of the referendum vote to leave the EU, the survey of 250 European expats educated to degree level or above found that 56 per cent of them said they were 'highly likely' or 'quite likely' to relocate before a Brexit deal was finalised.Conducted by law firm Baker McKenzie among FTSE 250 companies and other institutions with revenues in excess of £50 million, the survey found that the healthcare sector was likely to be hardest hit, with 84 per cent of respondents saying they were considering leaving the UK.

Number of EU nurses registering to work in the UK drops by 96 percent

The survey comes just a few days after a study by the Nursing and Midwifery Council found that the number of EU nurses registering for work in Britain had fallen from more than 1,300 in the month immediately after last summer's referendum to just 43 in April this year - a drop of 96 per cent.

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Baker McKenzie found that, after healthcare, technology, media and telecoms, and financial services were the sectors most likely to see an exodus of EU staff.

Skills shortages likely unless UK employers take immediate steps

Stephen Ratcliffe, employment partner at Baker McKenzie, said the findings indicated organisations could face significant skills shortages in the near future unless employers took immediate steps to support and incentivise employees to encourage them to stay.The survey found that 42 per cent of respondents had already taken action to change their immigration status as a result of the referendum and that another 40 per cent were planning to do so. About 70 per cent of EU staff felt they were more vulnerable to discrimination since the vote."These findings would suggest that the perception of discrimination is a key driver for skilled EU nationals seeking to leave the UK," Mr Ratcliffe said."Employers should be refreshing their anti-discrimination policies, particularly in the context of recruitment, and offering their staff support as they face the consequences of Brexit."Employers who are reliant on EU workers should be taking active steps to engage with their employees on the subject of Brexit, and to offer them support and assistance to address areas of uncertainty for them and their families."Last week's election result and the current uncertainty around the immigration status of EU nationals, underlines the need for all employers - especially those reliant on EU workers - to address their employees' concerns around Brexit as a priority."Failure to do so could result in a significant skills drain for businesses in the near term, regardless of the Brexit deal reached."

Multinational employers believe attracting global talent will be more difficult post-Brexit

Another report published on Thursday showed that 34 per cent of multinational employers with operations in the UK believed that attracting the right talent from around the world would become more difficult post-Brexit.The sixth RES Forum Annual Report said organisations feared hiring overseas staff once the UK departs the EU would become excessively complicated, with more than half (58 per cent) believing social security paperwork would become more complex.

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