1/12/23, 6:50 PM Moving to London: Italians Defy Brexit to Seize UK Job Opportunities - Bloomberg

Wealth
Living

Italians Flock to London Despite

Brexit
The number of Italian-born people living in the UK has doubled
from a decade ago, making them the most common foreign
nationality in the capital.

Olimpia Grassi in London. Photographer: Jose Sarmento Matos/Bloomberg

By Alice Kantor
January 10, 2023 at 10:00 PM GMT+7

A growing number of Italians are moving to the UK, even as citizens of other European countries
are driven away by Brexit and a recession that could be the longest on record.

There were 280,000 Italian-born people living in the UK in 2021, according to the Office for
National Statistics. That’s more than double the number of a decade ago and nearly 40% higher
than in 2016, the year Britain voted to leave the European Union. 
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-10/moving-to-london-italians-defy-brexit-to-seize-uk-job-opportunities?leadSource=uverify wall 1/6
1/12/23, 6:50 PM Moving to London: Italians Defy Brexit to Seize UK Job Opportunities - Bloomberg

Approximately half of them live in London, where Italians have become the most common foreign
nationality in the capital for the first time in recent history, ahead of India and Poland, ONS data
show. 

They’ve been drawn by better job opportunities and higher salaries, as well as a cosmopolitan
culture and a long-standing community of expats. They’re also defying the broader exodus of EU
nationals since the Brexit referendum. While the UK economy is facing its own woes, it still looks
attractive to many Italians looking to escape the high unemployment, stagnating wages, tough
business climate and limited growth back home.

And they want to stay: As of September 2022, more than 600,000 Italian citizens had applied to
the EU Settlement Scheme, a program that allows EU citizens to keep living in the UK post-Brexit.
That’s the largest number of any western European country.

“Italy is in a difficult situation. There’s a lack of opportunities, a lack of jobs,” said Brunello Rosa,
an Italian expat and co-founder of London-based consultancy Rosa & Roubini Associates. “Even if
the UK is not living its best moment, it’s still more attractive than Italy.” 

UK Appeal
Number of foreign-born in the UK by country of origin
Italy US Portugal France Spain
300

200

100

2012 2014 2016 2018 2020

Year
Source: UK Office for National Statistics

Limited Opportunities
Olimpia Grassi wishes she could live in Italy. But, for now, her career is in London. 

The architect started working two years ago as an interior designer for luxury hotels, a job she
said is virtually non-existent in her hometown of Rome. In London, she can make more money and
earn promotions.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-10/moving-to-london-italians-defy-brexit-to-seize-uk-job-opportunities?leadSource=uverify wall 2/6

1/12/23, 6:50 PM Moving to London: Italians Defy Brexit to Seize UK Job Opportunities - Bloomberg

Architect Olimpia Grassi in her London home. Photographer: Jose Sarmento Matos/Bloomberg

“Everybody wants to live in Italy,” she said. “But if you want a good job, good pay, and to make
progress in your career, London is the top choice.”

Like many Italians, Grassi moved back home during the pandemic to be closer to her family. This
led some analysts to speculate that a “reverse brain drain” was underway, but the trend appears to
have been short-lived.

“People who go back to Italy don’t necessarily have the best experience,” said Rosa, the London-
based consultant. “They face bureaucracy, corruption, inefficiency and limited job opportunities.
Eventually a lot of them move back to the UK.”

While Italy’s economy actually grew faster than the UK’s in the third quarter, the country still lags
behind in many other respects. Italy’s debt-to-GDP ratio is one of the highest in Europe and its 7.8%
unemployment rate is more than double the UK’s. The average London yearly salary hovers
around £40,000 ($48,600), compared to Milan’s 38,000 euros ($40,800), according to the website
Payscale.

“Brexit diminished a bit the attractiveness of London for Italians,” said Andrea Pisauro, a
coordinator at Manifesto di Londra, which seeks to improve Italy’s economy and politics from
London. “But compared to Italy’s high unemployment rate and the economic crisis of the past 10
years, the choice is still obvious.” 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-10/moving-to-london-italians-defy-brexit-to-seize-uk-job-opportunities?leadSource=uverify wall 3/6

1/12/23, 6:50 PM Moving to London: Italians Defy Brexit to Seize UK Job Opportunities - Bloomberg

London's Most Common Non-British Nationalities

Estimated population in 2021

Source: UK Office for National Statistics 2021 data

Brexit
To be sure, Brexit has made settling in the UK harder. EU citizens now need visas to stay in the
country, adding an employment hurdle. Burdensome regulations and customs checks have made
setting up a business more difficult, and it’s not as easy as it once was to travel back and forth from
the continent.

There’s at least one demographic that’s shrinking: the number of Italian students in the UK fell by
more than 60% between 2016 and 2022, according to the UK Universities and Colleges Admissions
Service. This is at least partly due to difficulties introduced by Brexit, including higher fees for EU
students.

Decline in Italian Students

Number of Italians studying at UK universities

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-10/moving-to-london-italians-defy-brexit-to-seize-uk-job-opportunities?leadSource=uverify wall 4/6

1/12/23, 6:50 PM Moving to London: Italians Defy Brexit to Seize UK Job Opportunities - Bloomberg

Source: UK Universities and Colleges Admissions Service

Italy, in comparison, has done a lot to lure its citizens home, including passing a 2019 law that gives
returning expats a significant exemption on income tax. And Milan in particular has been a
beneficiary of Brexit, attracting a finance jobs as big banks like Goldman Sachs shift roles from
London to the continent.

For Ines Makula, an Italian entrepreneur splitting her time between Rome and London, business is
still easier to conduct in the UK, at least for now.

“There’s a new wave of energy in Italy,” the Chelsea-based 31-year-old said. “In 10 years, young
folks will have options and London might not be a favorite anymore.”

Still, the UK remains the top destination for emigrating Italians, beating Germany and the US,
according to Italy’s National Institute of Statistics.

Olimpia Franzan moved back to London for a job. Source: Olimpia

Franzan

Olimpia Franzan, 31, moved to London from Rome two years ago to start a job at McKinsey & Co.
The strategy consultant said she tried to work in Milan but found the job environment too
restricted, with people valued on seniority and personal connections rather than merit.

“I’m skilled, I could find a job in Italy,” she said. “But in terms of career growth, there’s no way I’d
have the same opportunities.” 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-10/moving-to-london-italians-defy-brexit-to-seize-uk-job-opportunities?leadSource=uverify wall 5/6

1/12/23, 6:50 PM Moving to London: Italians Defy Brexit to Seize UK Job Opportunities - Bloomberg

Terms of Service Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information Trademarks Privacy Policy
©2023 Bloomberg L.P. All Rights Reserved
Careers Made in NYC Advertise Ad Choices Help

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-10/moving-to-london-italians-defy-brexit-to-seize-uk-job-opportunities?leadSource=uverify wall 6/6