British men employed as manual workers are most at risk from Brexit, according to a report. The group, which is thought to have voted overwhelmingly to leave the European Union, are more likely to be in sectors that sell a large amount of their output to the EU. These sectors include clothing manufacture, transport equipment, car manufacturing and the chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies concluded that men with GCSE qualifications or below are more likely than other groups to work in industries at extreme risk from new trade barriers after Brexit. Agnes Norris Keiller, co-author of the report and an economist at IFS, said: "If barriers to trade with the EU increase, particularly the sort of 'non-tariff' barriers created by customs checks and regulatory divergence, then some sectors of the economy will be affected more than others. "Parts of the manufacturing sector are likely to be hardest hit. "As a result, the jobs or wages of men with low formal qualifications working in certain manual occupations may be under particular threat. "These are the sorts of workers who are most likely to find it hard to adapt and to find new roles that are equally well paid elsewhere." The majority of working-class British males with no qualifications voted for Leave in the referendum, according to data from Ipsos Mori. Some 14% of UK workers, or 3.7 million, are in industries the IFS classifies as "very highly exposed", estimating that these sectors could lose more than 5% of their value if trade with the EU was on WTO rules. "This should be a matter of particular concern for policymakers," the IFS said, as these workers tend to be older and are more likely to have skills specific to their current roles and industries. "As a result, they may find it particularly difficult to move to as well-paid employment in less adversely affected industries." On the other hand, industries such as agriculture may benefit from trade barriers if consumers substitute EU imports for products made in the UK. Ms Norris Keiller said, however, that these gains "would be at the expense of UK consumers and these industries are a small proportion of overall employment". The report comes just a day after Nissan warned a hard Brexit will have "serious implications" for the car-maker's Sunderland factory.
UK men with "low formal qualifications working in certain manual occupations" are at the biggest risk of being affected by Brexit, despite being among the largest group to have voted to leave the EU, according to a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). It warned 14% of workers or 3.7 million people, were "very highly exposed", and said the clothing manufacture, transport equipment, car manufacturing and the chemicals and pharmaceuticals industries faced the greatest threat of new trade barriers post-withdrawal, while up to 5% of their value could be lost in the event of a no-deal Brexit.