“Radio silence” on Brexit is creating “vacuum of vulnerability”, says recruitment guru

The Managing Director of the UK’s oldest estate agent recruitment consultancy has called for the Government to give more information about what will happen to European Union employees after Brexit.

His comments follow a recent survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), which found that two fifths of UK businesses employing staff from the EU say their EU employees have expressed concern about their future residency status following the referendum. Research also found that five per cent of businesses have seen EU employees resign following the Brexit vote, while ten per cent said their EU employees have stated their intention to leave the UK.

Property Personnel Managing Director Anthony Hesse said: “It’s all very well the Government wanting to keep its negotiating cards close to its chest, but the lack of information about Brexit is creating a vacuum of vulnerability. Decisions still need to be made out there, so both employers and employees need to have some idea about what is going to happen in the future, in order that they can plan accordingly. But at the moment, the radio silence is deafening.”

The British government has repeatedly attempted to reassure the three million EU nationals currently living in the UK, but it has not ruled out the possibility of deportations in the future. Anthony Hesse said that the issues around the status of existing EU nationals, the nature of new appointments from the 27 other EU countries during the transition period, and future immigration policy all need to be addressed.

He explained: “We need rapid clarity on three issues – confirmation about the status of EU nationals currently living here who have been left in limbo, clarification on how new EU hires will be treated, and an indication about future immigration policy.

“We still have a significant skills gap in the UK. So we need an immigration policy that allows businesses to plug skills shortages with employees from the EU, with as little bureaucracy or cost, and as few barriers as possible.

“This is more than a simple matter of individuals not knowing where they stand. This is about long-term policy making for businesses, including estate agents up and down the country, who are unable to make important decisions because the information required is simply not there.

“The economy may have appeared to have bounced-back faster than expected after the referendum result – but as the uncertainty drags on, companies and individuals are increasingly at risk.”

Blog post by: Property Publicity – Eric Dixon eric@propertypublicity.co.uk

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

1 in 8 new-build homes unsold after six months

Developers hold their nerve as one in eight new-build homes remain unsold after six months   Jonathan Samuels, CEO of specialist lender, Octane Capital, believes that developers are increasingly prioritising profitability over speed of sale, with new-build homes spending longer on the market as developers resist unnecessary price reductions and instead look to protect scheme…
Read More
Breaking News

Rental price and average salary tracker – July 2026

Year-on-year Rental Price Growth Moderates, Yet High Demand and Limited Supply Continue to Push Rents Higher London recorded the strongest monthly rental growth, with average rents rising from £2,385 to £2,484 (+4.2% month-on-month). As a result, the representative annual salary needed to secure the average-priced rental home increased from £70,050 to £74,520 (+6.4% year-on-year). The…
Read More
Breaking News

Holiday let reforms fail to boost housing market activity in Devon and Cornwall

The latest research by LandSale has revealed that the introduction of council tax premiums on second homes, alongside wider measures designed to curb the growth of holiday lets, has yet to deliver a stronger housing market in Devon and Cornwall, where sales activity continue to lag behind the South West and England as a whole.…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 10/8/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Letting agent complaints are up 47% and why everyone is misreading the property redress   The competence tax has been abolished Thought leadership by Olivier Jauniaux Founder of NestLink Somewhere in a lettings office this week, a property manager is reading a six-page document about a deposit…
Read More
Breaking News

Rental price and average salary tracker – July 2026

Year-on-year Rental Price Growth Moderates, Yet High Demand and Limited Supply Continue to Push Rents Higher London recorded the strongest monthly rental growth, with average rents rising from £2,385 to £2,484 (+4.2% month-on-month). As a result, the representative annual salary needed to secure the average-priced rental home increased from £70,050 to £74,520 (+6.4% year-on-year). The…
Read More
Breaking News

House prices stable in July

House prices stable in July (0.0%), following a +0.2% rise in June Average property price now £299,253 compared with £299,396 in June Annual growth of +0.1% is the slowest rate of house price inflation since November 2023 Northern Ireland continues to record the UK’s strongest annual growth at +7.4%   Amanda Bryden, Head of Mortgages…
Read More