RIBA draws up post-Brexit global talent blueprint

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is warning a no-deal Brexit would lose the UK tens of millions of pounds in lost architecture export earnings.

Ruth Holmes

8 December 2017

The global membership body commissioned consultants Frontier Economic to carry out an economic analysis of architecture’s contribution to the UK economy through exports and to estimate the potential impact on the sector of Brexit.The report, Global Talent, Global Reach, suggests the UK’s position as a global architectural hub is at risk if Brexit makes it significantly harder to trade with and access skills from the EU.

The impacts on the UK-based international workforce

RIBA also issued warnings around the UK’s ability to continue to attract the best global talent. One in four architects working in the UK are from the EU.“The architecture sector’s main asset is its global workforce – over two-thirds of the sector’s inputs are labour and one in four architects working in the UK are from the EU," notes the report.“Their contribution to the sector is vital and the risk of losing access to talent and skills from the EU would have a signifcant impact on UK architecture’s ability to compete in both to EU and non-EU markets.”

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RIBA's recommendations on talent mobility

Although the deal brokered this week by Theresa May secures, in principle at least, the rights of EU citizens already living and working in the UK, the future of talent mobility between the UK and the EU remains less than certain.Global Talent, Global Reach recommends immediate steps to protect British architecture’s ability to attract, recruit and retain global talent during Brexit negotiations. Among its eight recommendations overall, RIBA is calling for:

A post-Brexit immigration system that continues to allow businesses to access the best global talent from the EU and the rest of the world
Continued mutual recognition of architects’ professional qualifications with the EU
New mutual recognition agreements for architects in other large markets to support UK architectural exports.

Financial benefits of world-leading sector

As well as the impact of Brexit on recruitment, the study highlights the financial stakes. The UK exports more architecture than any other EU nation, finds the analysis. As a sector, it contributes £4.8 billion to the UK economy annually.Revenue from international work reached £500 million in 2016. A no-deal Brexit scenario could reduce that by at least £73 million a year, according to Frontier Economic’s calculations.There is also potential for new growth in UK architecture services outside of the EU. The UK outperforms the rest of the EU in global exports and is a global hub in a way that no other EU architecture sector can match, says the study.Striking a services trade agreement with countries like China, the USA, India and the UAE could yield minimum returns of £54 million in its first year, setting the stage for further growth of the sector in new markets.

RIBA's recommendations on global competitiveness

Here, RIBA is calling for:

New trade agreements with large markets that include trade in services and mutual recognition of professional qualifcations
A Brexit deal with the EU which enables UK business and academic institutions to continue to participate in pan-EU research projects
Additional support for research and innovation through grants and tax incentives when EU state aid rules no longer apply
A trade agreement with the European Union that maintains mutual market access and avoids non-tariff barriers
Expanded export support and advice for small businesses, to support more small and medium-sized architecture practices to expand internationally.

RIBA President, Ben Derbyshire, said: “Without a Brexit deal that works for UK architecture we risk losing more of our global talent due to increased costs and economic uncertainty. This means remaining open to the best and brightest talent from around the world and a new trade relationship with the EU and the rest of the world."Anything less will lead to a skills exodus, higher costs across the industry and the failure to deliver domestic policies on housing, infrastructure and the industrial strategy all of which rely on our being open for business to international design talent.”RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance, said: “British architects are the most respected and admired in the world, but we can’t take this success and our £4.8bn contribution to UK economy for granted. Brexit poses a real threat to the professions’ future prosperity. The UK government must make assurances to safeguard our profession post-Brexit by ensuring our members have full access to talent from across the EU and around the world. I want to maintain and build upon London and the UK’s reputation as a global architecture talent hub, attracting the brightest from around the world.”

Creative approaches to managing the talent and geopolitical challenges

RIBA's study sheds further light on the growing talent squeeze in the creative and engineering sector. It also comes after the UK’s seven leading construction trade bodies united to warn ministers that the industry must continue to have access to foreign skills after Brexit if the government’s ambitious plans on infrastructure and house-building are to be met. At London's Global Expansion Summit in June, speakers including Julia Onslow-Cole, partner at global professional services firm, PwC, and its head of global immigration and legal markets leader, and Mark Derkson, associate director of Arup and head of international mobility at the firm of designers, planners, engineers, consultants and technical specialists, described challenges in play in securing talent. London in particular is facing a dearth of skilled people in the construction industry, leading to creative and innovative approaches to talent mobility.For related news and features, visit our enterprise section. Look out for the launch of 2018's Relocate Awards, entries open in January. Relocate’s new Global Mobility Toolkit provides free information, practical advice and support for HR, global mobility managers and global teams operating overseas.Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online Directory

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