As a part of post-Brexit rules, Britain has decided that it will “turn off the tap” of foreign, low-skilled labor and mandates that all the workers entering the country should have a job offer and meet the salary and language requirements as determined in the post-Brexit era. 

Britain has formally left the European Union by Jan. 31, and a transition period will be in effect until Dec. 31. EU citizens are free to move between member states at the moment, which is why some voted for Brexit back in the historical referendum of 2016, as they wanted to bring down the number of people arriving in the country. 

The new immigration system will be designed in such a way that “will turn off the tap of cheap, foreign low-skilled labor,” according to Priti Patel, Interior Minister. 

“From next year, all skilled workers will need to earn enough points to work in the UK. They will need to speak English, have a firm job offer, and meet salary requirements,” said Patel. 

Such restrictions could prove to be detrimental to Britain’s talent pool and skilled labor as well, especially in the public services sector such as the National Health Service that relies on other EU citizens who are nurses and doctors. 

In order to tackle skills shortage in sectors that are facing a talent crunch, the government has said that it would award additional points to workers in these sectors. 

Key takeaway 

As this year will be marked by negotiations of a post-Brexit deal, the entire landscape of human capital in a post-Brexit world of work remains to be determined by the global forces, changes in immigration policies in Britain, and the talent gaps that will emerge as restrictions over EU citizens’ and resources’ movement across borders are placed which will have an impact on employers, companies, and businesses in the region.