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No-deal Brexit 'would mean 139,000 job losses in Italy': report

Clare Speak
Clare Speak - [email protected]
No-deal Brexit 'would mean 139,000 job losses in Italy': report
Unemployment in Italy is set to rise after Brexit - deal or no deal. Photo: AFP

A no-deal Brexit would cause the loss of 1.2 million jobs across Europe, including 139,140 in Italy, according to a newly-released study by Belgium's Leuven University.

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The impact study, commissioned by the Belgian government, showed that the UK leaving the EU without an agreement would cause major job losses in every country in Europe.

France would lose 141,320 jobs, while Germany would suffer a massive 291,930 redundancies, the study said.

Of course, the country expected to suffer the most is the UK, where more than 500,000 jobs would be lost - - up to five percent of its total workforce.

 

The study looked at both the total number and the percentage of jobs that would be lost in each country.

Ireland would be one of the worst-hit countries percentage wise, as it stands to lose 50,330 jobs. Belgium too would lose a higher percentage of jobs, with 42,390 redundancies expected there in a no-deal scenario.

The study also looked at the potential impact if the UK left with an agreement. In that case, the number of jobs lost across Europe would be smaller – but still significant.

Italy, which already suffers high levels of unemployment and poverty, as well as a sluggish economy, would face 31,230 job losses even if Britain leaves the EU with an agreement.

The study took into account how supply chains across the EU and globally would be disrupted, as well as the countries’ direct trade links with the UK.

To calculate the impact, researchers defined “leaving with an agreement” as a situation where the UK leaves the EU but remains part of the internal market or the European Customs Union.

For the projected no-deal scenario, researchers assumed the UK would leave the single market and fall back on the rules of the World Trade Organisation.

Meanwhile, a separate data set published in the Financial Times this week showed how personal finances would be hit across Europe under a no-deal scenario, with the UK again worst hit.

It showed that southern Italy is expected to escape the effects, but those in the north and centre of the country can expect to be around 50 euros worse off annually on average.

READ ALSO: No-deal Brexit: Concern in Italy over harsh new residency rules for Brits 

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Anonymous 2019/08/07 14:04
I think some of these figures should be taken with a pinch of salt. No doubt there will be short term disruption, but medium to long term there is no reason why the UK would import less from Italy or holiday there less. The British love Italy and all things Italian!

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