Britain voting to leave the European Union has spurred thousands of job seekers to search for work overseas.
Huge numbers are searching recruitment portals online in the hope of finding a new job and a new start overseas.
Analysis of millions of online searches has shown disillusioned British workers are dreaming of a new life as expats.
The favourite destination is right on the doorstep – the Irish Republic.
The number of people searching for a job there has surged by a fifth since the Brexit vote.
Spike in online job searches
Other places with big increases in numbers searching for work are Australia (13%) and Canada (10%).
The EU is still a popular place for prospective expats.
Job searches in Germany are up 9% since the referendum, while France saw a 6% increase. The average across the other 27 EU states other than Britain was a 7% rise.
“Within hours of Britain’s vote for Brexit, many UK based jobseekers jumped online to look for work elsewhere. The first days after the referendum saw a huge spike in searches for jobs overseas,” said Mariano Mamertino, EMEA economist at jobs portal Indeed.
“For the most popular countries, average search levels during the 100 days since the Brexit result now match the immediate post-result surge.
Ireland is top destination
“Ireland in particular is a big winner. Not only are high numbers of Britons searching for Irish jobs, but so are jobseekers from elsewhere in the EU. The UK has long been a magnet for international talent, but Brexit uncertainty is leading many of them to consider Ireland instead.”
Mamertino explained that closeness to Britain, a shared heritage and language as well as a booming economy all set Eire apart from other EU countries as a place to seek a new career as an expat.
“Ireland is certainly gaining in popularity at the expense of the UK. One of consequences of Brexit is to make Ireland a stronger destination for talent than before,” he said.
“Brexit uncertainty is now prompting many of those who had been thinking of leaving Britain to work overseas to start a job hunt in earnest.”
Indeed offers jobs in 160 countries and attracts around 180 million searches a month.
