3 June 2016 | James Richards

New research suggests that 88 per cent of EU workers in the UK might not qualify for a visa in the event of Britain leaving the EU.
 

The research claims that the accommodation and food services sectors would be particularly badly hit. Almost 14 per cent of the workforce in this sector is made up of EU workers, but only 1 per cent would quality for a visa.

The report from the Social Market Foundation (SMF) and Adecco Group has modelled the impact of a ‘leave’ vote, whereby the principle of free movement would no longer apply.

EU workers in the UK would then be subject to visa requirements to be eligible to work. If the current visa requirements for non-European Economic Area migrants were applied to this group, 88 per cent of workers would not be eligible.

According to the study, Working Together? The Impact Of The EU Referendum On UK Employers, there are six million EU workers in the UK making up 6 per cent of all UK employees.

The model indicates that London would feel the brunt of the impact, as one in eight (13 per cent) of the capital’s employees are from the EU, three-quarters of whom would not qualify for a visa.