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Rebordering Britain & Britons after Brexit

Labour immigration after Brexit: questions and trade-offs in designing a work permit system for EU citizens

Abstract

This paper examines key questions the UK Government will face if it opts to end free movement and replace it with a work-permit system after Brexit. It argues that government decisions on which occupations will be eligible for labour immigration after Brexit will be particularly important; there is no single statistical metric for making such decisions, and the government will need to prioritize among several competing objectives. It will also need to consider the trade-off between fine-tuning and simplicity in any new immigration system, facing a choice between the ability to tailor immigration policy to government objectives outside of immigration, and the potential benefits of maintaining a simpler, more uniform, and easily enforceable set of rules that apply to workers and employers across the board.

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Journal

Oxford Review of Economic Policy

Author

Madeleine Sumption (United Kingdom)

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