• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
FinanceBrexit

A Mere Flesh Wound: Brexit is Killing Off U.K. Banking Jobs, Just Not As Many as Once Feared

By
Eric J. Lyman
Eric J. Lyman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Eric J. Lyman
Eric J. Lyman
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 19, 2019, 12:40 PM ET

Brexit hasn’t quite been the jobs-killer that was once feared for the U.K.’s vaunted banking sector, a report released Thursday by Ernst & Young showed. That’s the good news. The bad news: It could get worse, much worse.

With exactly six weeks to go until the U.K. is scheduled to leave the European Union—whether there is a deal in place or not—EY reported that just 1,000 investment banking and other finance sector jobs have made the move from the U.K. to the continent since the 2016 Brexit referendum vote. The EY report—which has been updated regularly, post-Brexit—is based on a survey of activity at some 222 London-based financial firms.

Instead of accelerating as the deadline draws nearer, the departures have remained more or less flat, even in the wake of increased likelihood of a no-deal Brexit after the more combative Boris Johnson replaced Theresa May as British Prime Minister in July.

Of course, just because they’re not rushing for the exits doesn’t mean all is well in the city of London. Earlier this year, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon told attendees of the World Economic Forum in Davos that because of the Brexit uncertainty the investment bank had adopted a policy of adding headcount in its other European offices while capping hires in London.

Of the UK-based bank personnel who have left since 2016, Dublin remains the most popular relocation destination, followed by Luxembourg (where it’s contributed to a surge in house prices) and then Frankfurt.

“Over the past three months, financial services have kept relatively quiet on the status of their Brexit plans,” said Omar Ali, the UK Financial Services leader with EY. “Given that many companies had pulled out all the stops to be ready ahead of the March deadline, much of the planning of temporary solutions for staff and operational moves has already been completed.”

But the same report said that could be just the tip of the iceberg, with 7,000 more banking jobs estimated to bound for other European cities in the “near future,” taking as much as 1 trillion pounds (around $1.25 trillion) in assets with them. That figure is up from 800 billion pounds ($1 trillion) reported previously.

EY said that around two out of five of the 222 firms it is following with its “Brexit Tracker” have publicly declared they will move at least some of their operations to Europe, or that they are considering such a move. Almost two out of three universal banks, investment banks, and brokerages—a 48-firm subset of the first group—say the same thing.

Still, the estimates predict less impact than originally believed. In the wake of the June 2016 Brexit vote, the more alarmist critics had warned that London could see an exodus of tens of thousands of banking jobs that would erode the city’s status as the continent’s financial capital in favor of Paris or Frankfurt.

“Financial services firms have put the building blocks in place but have so far transferred fewer staff and assets to the continent than expected,” Ali said. “So, there is still lots for the industry to contend with as we approach Oct. 31.”

EY said there was evidence that financial services companies are focusing on reassuring their customers, shareholders, and other stakeholders that they are ready for that Oct. 31 deadline, with several making public statements to say they are well positioned for the U.K.’s departure from the European Union, whether it’s a hard departure or a soft one.

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—Saudi Aramco is getting what it’s long wanted—perhaps at the expense of its IPO
—Passive investing has exploded. But here’s why fears of a bubble are overblown
—Why the next recession may feel very different than 2008
—Social Security increases in 2020 will be noticeably smaller than this year
—U.S. recession indicators haven’t made up their minds
Don’t miss the daily Term Sheet, Fortune’s newsletter on deals and dealmakers.

About the Author
By Eric J. Lyman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

The ‘affordability economy’ has created a housing market nobody predicted: Prices collapsing in the Sun Belt, soaring in the Rust Belt
Real EstateHousing
The ‘affordability economy’ has created a housing market nobody predicted: Prices collapsing in the Sun Belt, soaring in the Rust Belt
By Shawn TullyApril 11, 2026
59 minutes ago
Fed seeks details on U.S. banks’ exposure to private credit firms
BankingBanks
Fed seeks details on U.S. banks’ exposure to private credit firms
By Katanga Johnson, Dawn Lim, Silla Brush, Lydia Beyoud and BloombergApril 10, 2026
9 hours ago
How to get out of debt: 9 proven strategies that actually work
Personal Financedebt relief
How to get out of debt: 9 proven strategies that actually work
By Joseph HostetlerApril 10, 2026
13 hours ago
Amazon is still paying Jeff Bezos an $80,000 yearly salary—but $1.6 million for travel and security
Big TechCEO salaries and executive compensation
Amazon is still paying Jeff Bezos an $80,000 yearly salary—but $1.6 million for travel and security
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezApril 10, 2026
13 hours ago
A laptop screen shows World Liberty Financial's website
CryptoCryptocurrency
Trump-backed World Liberty Financial tokens hit all-time low on reports of insider loans
By Jack KubinecApril 10, 2026
14 hours ago
Iran is demanding tankers in the Strait of Hormuz pay tolls in crypto: What we know so far
CryptoIran
Iran is demanding tankers in the Strait of Hormuz pay tolls in crypto: What we know so far
By Ben WeissApril 10, 2026
14 hours ago

Most Popular

Mark Cuban admits he made a mistake letting go of the Mavericks: 'I don't regret selling. I regret who I sold to'
Investing
Mark Cuban admits he made a mistake letting go of the Mavericks: 'I don't regret selling. I regret who I sold to'
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
2 days ago
Scottie Scheffler joined Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in golf's $100M club—and donated his entire Ryder Cup stipend to charity
Success
Scottie Scheffler joined Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in golf's $100M club—and donated his entire Ryder Cup stipend to charity
By Fortune EditorsApril 10, 2026
17 hours ago
Schools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies
Innovation
Schools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies
By Fortune EditorsApril 10, 2026
1 day ago
The U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined
Economy
The U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
2 days ago
A Meta employee created a dashboard so coworkers can compete to be the company's No. 1 AI token user—and Zuckerberg doesn't even rank in the top 250
AI
A Meta employee created a dashboard so coworkers can compete to be the company's No. 1 AI token user—and Zuckerberg doesn't even rank in the top 250
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
2 days ago
The Navy confirmed an ‘abundant amount’ of Uncrustables when the Artemis II crew lands. Smucker’s just offered them a lifetime supply
Politics
The Navy confirmed an ‘abundant amount’ of Uncrustables when the Artemis II crew lands. Smucker’s just offered them a lifetime supply
By Fortune EditorsApril 10, 2026
11 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.