The number of UK-based workers planning to emigrate to the EU has returned to the highs seen in the days after the Brexit referendum.
Data released by jobs website Indeed reveals that the share of UK jobseekers looking for work in the European Union has risen to over 15% above pre-referendum levels.
Ireland is the most popular destination, attracting 21.4% of searches.
It is followed by France with 17.5%, Spain with 12.8% of searches, Germany with 11.7% and Italy at 8.2%.
Immediately after the shock referendum result in June 2016, the number of UK jobseekers looking for roles in other EU countries soared as thousands of workers explored their options.
Indeed noted that while this spike quickly subsided, the steady increases seen in 2017 and 2018 hint at a more significant, sustained trend.
Tara Sinclair, economist at Indeed, said that Brexit has dominated the EU landscape and also the relationship between the UK and Ireland for two years. This is also reflected in the labour market, she added.
"Proximity plays a role, and it makes sense that we are seeing the UK's nearest neighbour and fellow English language-speaking member state attract the largest share of jobseekers," the economist said.
"A Brexodus is once again a very real possibility. While the initial spike in Britons searches for EU jobs might be dismissed as a knee-jerk reaction - inspired by either curiosity or panic - 2018's steady and sustained return to those levels suggests more Britons are thinking more seriously about a move to elsewhere in the EU," she stated.
