Labour mobility after Brexit and Covid

Alongside the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the UK economy, the ending of freedom of movement of labour after Brexit has radically changed the labour mobility landscape of the country, with critical implications for work and employment in low-skilled sectors.

In this podcast, Dr Gabriella Alberti and Dr Jo Cutter are joined by Caroline Keohane and Tanya Barringer from the Food and Drink Federation to discuss how the workforce in the UK food and drink sector has been affected since the end of the free movement of labour from the EU, and other subsequent crises.

Impact

• Knowledge discovery: built research and evidence about changes to migration policy and practice in the UK workforce post-COVID-19 and post-Brexit
• Community collaboration: created a guide for migrants working in the UK social care sector
• Policy impact: submitted evidence to the Public Accounts Committee in 2022 and 2025 about immigration, Skilled Worker Visas, and labour migration policy post-Brexit.

Key information

• Major funders: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Partners and collaborators: Food and Drink Federation
• Disciplines: business, economics, geopolitics, transport
• Investigators: Dr Gabriella Alberti, Dr Joanne Cutter, Professor Chris Forde, Dr Gary Graham, Dr Ioulia Bessa, Dr Joanne Cutter, Dr Zinovijus Ciupijus, Dr Markéta Doležalová, and Dr Eleonora Morganti.

Keywords: migration, EU, right-to-work, visas, business, workforce, labour, skilled labour, key workers, social care, employment, UK economy, recruitment practices, labour substitution strategies, management, jobs, equity, sustainability, unions, freedom of movement, workers