Brexit scares off EU workers

Brexit has yet to happen but there’s one area where it’s already having an impact — the number of EU citizens in the U.K.

The number of people coming from the other 27 EU countries into Britain has fallen consistently since Britain voted to leave the bloc in June 2016.

With less than four months to go until Britain officially leaves, many EU citizens are heading back home or opting against making the trip to a country where the economic outlook is so unclear. Net migration from the EU— the difference between those coming into Britain and those leaving — has now fallen to a six-year low.

EU nationals in Britain have lived in uncertainty since the Brexit vote, which was partly driven by concerns over immigration and a perception that migrants were depressing wages. One of the main tenets of EU membership is the freedom for citizens to move and work anywhere within the bloc.

The Brexit vote also led to a sharp fall in the pound, which made Britain a relatively less attractive place to work for foreigners.