8 Questions: Brexit white paper

The government has released its Brexit white paper, which confirmed that the UK will leave the single market. This means new immigration policy will have to be created and could signal tighter restrictions for those from EU member states seeking to live and work in the UK. This month’s 8 Questions is about the impact this could have on access to skilled workers for the engineering sector.

1. Will exiting the single market cause a significant skills gap in the engineering sector?

Yes: 40%

No: 40%

Don’t know: 20%

There is divided opinion on whether Brexit will significantly widen the engineering skills gap. Some PE readers stated that the sector has benefited significantly from European investment and employees and expressed fears that exiting the single market will mean losing this valuable resource. However, others felt that tighter immigration rules will simply mean we will be able to pick and choose the best engineers from EU countries, while fostering UK talent too.

2. Do you think the government’s suggestion of a phased process of implementation for new immigration arrangements will soften any negative impact for business and academia?

Yes: 62%

No: 23%

Don’t know: 15%

The promise of a phased introduction would clearly be welcome for many businesses and academics. But there are questions over how slow the implementation process could be.

3. Will a new immigration policy prevent our access to European research institutions and funding?

Yes: 51%

Don’t know: 26%

No: 23%

Leaving the EU will put future access to research funding and collaboration with institutions at risk for many sectors in engineering. The IMechE recently put out a report urgently calling on the government to make up for the UK’s loss of access to Euratom, the European re-search programme for nuclear research and training. However, some PE readers felt less concerned, stating that good research projects will always find funding.

4. Do you think our departure from the single market will put off large numbers of talented workers and students from considering coming to the UK?

Yes: 48%

No: 43%

Don’t know: 9%

5. Should industry be concerned about losing existing employees that originally came from other EU countries?

Yes: 55%

No: 39%

Don’t know: 6%

While many people believe that existing EU workers will be allowed to continue to stay and work in the country, there is concern that the government may use them as a bargaining chip in political negotiations. Increased xenophobia and uncertainty about future working rights has meant that some EU workers are already leaving the UK.

6. Are you confident that the UK can offset the loss of EU workers with talented workers from other countries?

Yes: 42%

No: 41%

Don’t know: 17%

The implications of leaving the EU clearly polarise opinion. Just 1% more PE readers feel we will be able to make up for the loss of skilled EU workers from other countries around the world. They believe that as long as a good visa system is imposed we will not lose out, and should pay more attention to fostering home-grown talent too.

7. Has the decision to exit the single market damaged the UK’s reputation on the global stage?

No: 45%

Yes: 41%

Don’t know: 14%

Those against Brexit believe that leaving the single market will make the UK a less attractive place for businesses to invest in, and could cause us to fall behind other countries when it comes to keeping a leading edge in sectors such as technology or nuclear. However, most PE readers took a different view, believing that the vote has in fact enhanced the country’s reputation and could make the economy stronger in the long run.

8. Should the government urgently do more to foster the skills and workers needed for the engineering sector?

Yes: 94%

No: 4%

Don’t know: 2%

PE readers responded to this question, perhaps unsurprisingly, with a resounding yes. Of course, the engineering sector has been calling on government to do more to plug the skills gap for years. However, with the possibility of losing more skilled workers as Brexit policy comes into force, there is a greater urgency for government to ensure that we are producing enough skilled workers in our own country. A range of suggestions included making studying engineering more attractive with the use of sandwich courses and working closely with industry and colleges to upskill the existing workforce.