A million foreign workers 'to leave UK in five years'

More than a million foreign workers are preparing to leave the UK within the next five years, say researchers, adding to fears of a Brexit "brain drain".

A survey by accountancy firm Deloitte says 36 per cent of non-British workers are thinking about leaving the country by 2022, with 26 per cent planning to move by 2020.

This represents roughly 1.2 million jobs out of 3.4 million migrant workers in Britain, with almost half (47 per cent) of all highly skilled foreign employees considering leaving.

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"That points to a short-to-medium term skills deficit that can be met in part by upskilling our domestic workforce but which would also benefit from an immigration system that is attuned to the needs of the economy," Deloitte senior partner David Sproul said.

The survey "underscores the severe jobs crisis facing the country as it begins the process of extracting itself from the European Union" and the findings are "likely to increase political pressure to ensure access to talent is maintained following Brexit", says The Independent.