Organisations seem to be turning their backs on looking to skilled technology workers from EU countries to plug the IT skills gap. That is according to the 2018 CIO 100, which revealed that despite growing concerns among organisations and their CIOs about recruiting the necessary talent to drive transformation agendas, those actively looking to IT professionals from EU member states has declined by more than a fifth since 2015. While some 72% of organisations represented in the 2018 CIO 100 said that their teams included IT workers from EU member countries, only 37% responded that they were actively looking to the EU to recruit key skills. The number of CIOs and organisations looking to the EU to help plug the skills gap was 42% in 2017, and was 47% back in 2015, a month ahead of that year’s General Election. The latest edition of the CIO 100, which included a cross-section of FTSE-listed giants, large government bodies, non-profits and British megabrands, revealed again that CIOs are struggling to recruit key IT skills, and that recruitment and retention had risen up their agendas. The EU’s Chief Negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, stated in 2017 that the rights of EU citizens in the UK were one of his top priorities in negotiations over the terms of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU before any further discussions could proceed. In March 2018, Barnier and Brexit Secretary David Davis confirmed freedom of movement would continue during the Brexit transition period, which is mooted to end in December 2020. President of Tech UK, Jacqueline de Rojas, said that the UK government had a crucial role to play in ensuring organisations were able to grow and innovate. “The government must ensure the UK’s tech sector has access to the brightest and best global talent in order to continue to grow and innovate,” she said. “This is even more important in the context of Brexit which threatens to interrupt the ease of the current system if we fail to plan.” In the 2017CIO100 CIOs fromorganisationsincluding Eddie Stobart,Trainlineand the Financial Times noted negotiations around freedom of movement and rights of EU citizens living in the UK could have a significant impact on their organisations and that they were watching events closely. Related content BrandPost Why CISOs Are Looking to Lateral Security to Mitigate Ransomware How to fight ransomeware attacks with lateral security By VMware Mar 27, 2023 2 mins VMware Cloud Security Feature State of the CIO, 2023: Building business strategy Despite a focus on core modernization and transformation work, 2023 State of the CIO respondents say CIOs are playing a strategic leadership role with impact that transcends IT. By Beth Stackpole Mar 27, 2023 11 mins CIO Business IT Alignment Digital Transformation Analysis Why data leaders struggle to produce strategic results A recent Gartner survey of data and analytics leaders found that fewer than half think their teams are effective at providing value to their organizations. Here’s how to change that equation. By Thor Olavsrud Mar 27, 2023 8 mins Chief Data Officer Data Management IT Leadership BrandPost How Infosys and Tennis Australia are harnessing technology for good By Veronica Lew Mar 26, 2023 6 mins Infosys Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe