Employers’ responses to Brexit: The perspective of employers in low skilled sectors

The EU referendum gave an equal say to all eligible voters but some had more of a stake in the outcome than others, among them employers of EU migrants. Between the end of 2015 and early 2016 we interviewed 24 employers in the low skilled sectors of food and drink, hospitality and construction about free movement and the implications of a Leave vote, publishing our findings in April. We interviewed most of them again in the three weeks following the referendum. We found them unprepared for the Leave result, somewhat regretful that they had not been more active in the lead up to the vote, concerned for the wellbeing of their migrant employees and worried about their future ability to recruit the labour they need.