Taking a look at the impact of geopolitics on UK Technical Recruitment

• Brexit: Since Brexit, the UK's exit from the EU has complicated the mobility of EU tech professionals. This has led to a more restrictive immigration landscape, requiring EU citizens to go through visa processes that didn’t previously apply. This impacts the speed and cost of hiring, as well as the talent pool available to UK employers.
• Global Talent Visa: To counteract this, the UK has introduced initiatives like the Global Talent Visa, which allows highly skilled workers in tech and other sectors to live and work in the UK. While helpful, this visa is more selective, which limits the number of recruits who qualify, creating competitive demand for highly skilled workers.
• Impact of Geopolitical Tensions: Tech professionals from countries experiencing political tension or conflict might face additional scrutiny in visa approvals. For example, candidates from regions with strained UK relations may experience longer wait times or more thorough vetting, which can discourage them from applying.

• The UK's ability to attract top international tech talent is influenced by how it compares to other tech hubs, especially in Europe, North America, and increasingly Asia. For example, Germany, the Netherlands, and Ireland offer competing opportunities and sometimes more straightforward pathways for international workers, particularly from the EU. Changes in trade relations, such as new agreements or tensions, can either attract or deter tech workers from relocating to the UK.

• The global chip shortage and dependency on international supply chains have brought attention to tech sovereignty, with countries aiming to have more control over key technologies. The UK’s stance on foreign tech investment, particularly from countries like China, has impacted how and where tech companies invest, which can affect hiring. Local tech companies may have to focus on securing a talent pipeline that isn’t heavily dependent on foreign resources, leading to more domestic recruitment and training
• This opens up another issue, in that the number of UK tech vacancies outweigh the number of domestic (UK) candidates available for consideration. Since Brexit, there has not been a firm strategy put in place by successive governments to retrain those potential candidates that could move from being out of work into a tech role. Brexit was supposed open up the vacancy market to UK candidates. However, this has not happened due to a lack of training and the qualifications required to move non tech candidates into tech roles. With tech solutions such as robotics taking over the non-skilled vocations in retail, and warehousing for example, this has led to a higher unemployment rate. This is an area which needs addressing due to the number of vacancies and the impact it has on GDP in the long term.