OVER half of small businesses in the north are worried about losing access to EU workers post Brexit according to new research.
The Federation of Small Businesses has said there is "real concern" that small firms will lose access to the skills and labour they need to survive once the UK leaves the European Union in 2019.
The body's latest Brexit report reveals that 59 per cent of small businesses with EU workers are worried about access, while 54 per cent expressed concerns about growing their business after Brexit.
Almost all of those surveyed said they had no experience of using the UK's points-based immigration system and over half (56 per cent) said they were anxious about being required to enforce new immigration rules.
In some instances small businesses with EU workers even expressed concerns over the long-term viability of operations in the north if barriers are created to recruit workers.
A total of 13 per cent of those surveyed said they would consider moving their business abroad, while the same figure said they could reduce operations, with eight per cent contemplating closing down.
The restriction on tens of thousands of workers who commute daily over the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic is another key concern.
FSB Northern Ireland policy chair Wilfred Mitchell said there must be no restrictions on small firms recruiting workers from the EU.
“There is real concern among small firms with EU staff that they will lose access to the skills and labour their business needs to survive and grow. Non-UK workers are a vital part of our economy, helping to plug skills gaps across a wide range of sectors, and filling jobs in an already tight labour market. Small employers need to be able to hire the right person, for the right job at the right time," he said.
“Special consideration needs to be given to businesses in Northern Ireland, the only part of the UK which has a land border with another EU member state, as tens of thousands of people commute over this border on a daily basis. Any restrictions could have a direct impact on small firms’ ability to recruit and retain the workers they need.”
Mr Mitchell called for "sensible transitional arrangements" of more than three years to be put in place ahead of the implementation of any new immigration system in the north and the FSB has pushed for the government to guarantee "as soon as possible" the right to remain for EU citizens in the workforce
