Fall in flow of EU nationals coincides with drop in job applicants

An abrupt fall in flow of EU nationals into the UK has coincided with a drop in the quantity and suitability of job applicants being reported by employers, according to the latest quarterly Labour Market Outlook from the CIPD and The Adecco Group.

The survey of 2,001 employers found that the growth in labour supply is failing to keep pace with labour demand, exacerbated by a ‘supply shock’ of far fewer EU nationals coming into the UK. The respondents said that they received an average (median) of 20 applicants for the last ‘low-skilled’ vacancy they tried to fill, compared with 24 candidates in summer 2017 and 25 candidates in autumn 2015.