A Brexit would be 'hugely damaging' to UK's tech industry

If Britain were to leave the European Union, that would hurt its emerging tech sector, and hurt it badly. Those are the results of a new survey conducted by recruitment agency Talent Point.

Last year, the company registered 3,347 job seekers, with 24.73 percent coming from the EU, mostly thanks to the freedom of movement within it.

"Without the ability for EU citizens to cross borders freely some 25 percent of the current UK tech talent pool would be lost. This, in the short term at least, would be hugely damaging for many of our customers", the company said. Talent Point also asked its customers if they’re for, or against a Brexit -- 84 percent were against, with six percent being undecided, leaving 10 percent in favor.

The 100 customers that were polled have, on average, 31 percent of their workforce coming from the EU, as well. Moreover, for 94 percent of companies questioned, acquiring tech skills needed for business growth is a critical issue.

The lack of tech talent and highly skilled workers in the IT industry is a problem for the UK. A number of recent studies have shown that the country is faced with a significant talent shortage that needs urgent addressing if its tech sector is to continue growing.

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