THE number of migrant workers registering to work in Kent has begun to fall since last year’s vote to leave the EU, figures have revealed.
According to data based on National Insurance number allocations, the county recorded 13,926 overseas workers signing up for jobs in Kent in 2016/17. This represented a fall of 956 applications, or 6.4 per cent, compared to the previous financial year.
A large majority of workers come from Eastern Europe, in particular Romania and Bulgaria. However, while the number of Romanians signing up for work saw a very small increase, the number of Polish workers has fallen by 28 per cent.
The figures revealing a fall in migrant labour come as Kent’s agricultural sector warned that they were finding it increasingly difficult to fill vacant job roles that are often taken up by workers from overseas.
Despite intense lobbying by the sector, the government has so far refused to countenance introducing a seasonal workers scheme.