Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
An’ if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know

The lyrics of the song by the Clash seem particularly relevant to the population of the UK as the leaders of the In or Out Brexit campaign try and guide our thinking.

With the 23^rd June and the EU referendum drawing ever closer, many an individual in the UK is beginning to consider how they would be affected if we are to separate ourselves from the EU. The most obvious potential changes would be seen in business relations, migration and politics, but what about in the employment and recruitment sectors?

On the one hand, many experts state that we would see very few immediate changes in employment. For instance, leaving the EU, we would still maintain trade links with many of its member states, still largely abiding by similar laws. Furthermore, many laws introduced into the workplace by the EU, such as longer paid maternity leave, has now become commonplace in the UK, and so would remain for the most part, untouched.

However, if the vote to leave does triumph, then we will find ourselves where we step into the unknown, so we cannot say definitively that the effects on recruitment and employment will only be minor. Indeed, the changes in migration law alone will have an impact; the UK’s current shortage in skilled and unskilled workers will only be exacerbated if we then prevent workers from entering the country. The effect of this on businesses in the UK, and then on our economy, combined with the beliefs that our economy and trading links will be weakened by the separation makes one consider what our economic standing in the world will be if we were to turn our backs on the EU.

The effects of Brexit remain unclear, and undoubtedly will continue to do so for some time, so it is impossible to predict with confidence what the consequences will be for employment in the UK. The lack of clarity of outcome of an in or out decision is confused by the lack of tangible advice provided by either side.

Can you imagine deciding on career options with this level of uncertainty pervading your thinking? Therefore in your decisions to stay or go to new opportunities, you must be supported by informed advisors. We at ABPM are such advisors, with our twenty five plus years of recruitment history and knowledge concerning the market place and career advice are on hand to support.

Rej Abraham Managing Director