Low-Skilled Employment in a New Immigration Regime: Challenges and Opportunities for Business Transitions

In an era of free movement UK employers have had ready access to a supply of labour from the European Union to fill lowskilled jobs. This has enabled them to adopt business models, operating within broader supply chains, that take advantage of this source of labour and the flexibility that many migrant workers – especially those who are new arrivals to the UK – are prepared to offer them. Drawing mainly on evidence from employers on the role of migrant workers in selected sectors with a substantial proportion of low-skilled jobs, this article explores the challenges and opportunities they face in transitioning to a new post-Brexit immigration regime.