SCOTLAND should be “very concerned” about the impact of Brexit on its ability to attract skilled talent, particularly in the high-value digital, technical and engineering industries, according to an international resourcing company.
BPS World says it has been at the sharp end of the skills crisis in the UK, and its report Brexit: What the World is Saying, considers the effects of Brexit at home and on how other countries believe it will impact on skills.
Already, Britain is a net exporter of talent and some financial firms considering relocating from Britain have seen an upsurge in the number of staff making inquiries about living abroad.
Simon Conington, managing director of BPS World, told The National it is already a challenge to find skilled people for some of our most critical industries.
“In many cases there simply aren’t enough UK workers with the right skills to fill these jobs,” he said.
“I think Scotland should be very concerned. We work with many of the larger European tech and digital employers.
“As these skills are in short supply, employers need to base themselves in the countries that give them access to the largest pool of skills available.
“Once we are out of the EU, that will no longer be Scotland. It makes no sense for them to restrict the talent pool to the British only to the exclusion of all the skilled professionals in Europe, so I have no doubt that these employers will leave.”
Conington said he thought research and development work could also move out of post-Brexit Britain, and said the only solution was for skilled professionals to be given freedom of movement within the EU.
“We are getting mixed messages from government at the moment. On one hand we are told that the UK voted to tighten its borders and on the other hand we are being told that the UK voted to have greater control of our borders.
“The difference between these two approaches is significant and for the UK to continue prospering then an approach to greater control should allow us to maintain access the required talent.
“We need something to be announced very soon on freedom of movement for highly skilled professionals, otherwise both employers and skilled workers will decide not to take the risk and we will see a disastrous drain of both talent and employers.”
In November pioneering digital animation firm Speech Graphics told The National Brexit will make recruiting “a challenge”. The Edinburgh-based firm has worked with Kanye West and Microsoft, and co-founder Gregor Hofer, from Austria, said UK development studios will have to fight to attract the talent they need from EU nations.
Conington’s stark warning came as the Scottish Government unveiled its digital strategy aimed at boosting the number of jobs in the sector to 150,000 by 2021.
It sets out how digital will be at the heart of everything it does, from reforming public services to delivering economic growth.
Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said: “Digital is transforming the way we live. It is connecting us faster than ever before while putting more power into the hands of service users.
“There is a huge opportunity here and now to ensure that people, businesses and organisations across Scotland, are given the tools and skills they need to harness this potential.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here