THE number of EU workers in Scotland has fallen for the first time in 11 years as uncertainty continues over Brexit.  

There were 198,000 non-UK nationals in employment in 2018 - 21,000 fewer than in the previous year.

The number of EU nationals in employment in Scotland fell by 7.6 per cent from 153,000 to 141,000.

Scottish Government research shows that 2018 is the first year since 2007 that the number of EU workers has dropped.

External Affairs secretary Fiona Hyslop said the fall in overseas workers was "extremely concerning".

She said: "All of Scotland's population growth over the next 25 years - including our working-age population - is projected to come from migration.

"A fall in the number of non-UK nationals working in Scotland is extremely concerning and illustrates the significant demographic challenges that we are facing."

It comes as Scots fruit farmers have been pushing for a shake-up in attitudes to agriculture as the £100-million-a-year industry faces a chronic shortage of workers.

Figures from last year show that just one in 400 seasonal workers in the Scottish industry is British, forcing growers to fly as far as Moldova to try and recruit staff by offering free flights.

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Farmers in Angus, Perthshire and Fife that is the home of Scotland's fruit-picking industry believe that perceived difficulties with the British benefits system and job centres helps had made the prospect of seasonal work less appealing.

Last year, the National Farmers Union (NFU) surveyed Scottish farmers about the “threats facing your businesses as a result of possible labour shortages” which it says have been “compounded by negotiations to leave the EU”.

And a major survey on staffing in adult social care and childcare found that a cloud of uncertainty was hanging over the almost 10,000 EU nationals working in the sector.

READ MORE: Fruit and vegetables left to rot in fields after fall in farm workers from the EU after Brexit vote

The Scottish Government-commissioned survey of more than 1,500 employers in adult social care and childcare found more than a quarter expect to struggle to retain staff as the UK leaves the EU, risking further stress on public services already under pressure.

Recent research from jobs site Indeed showed that UK jobs were attracting less interest from other European workers.

They found that the number of searches for UK jobs from other European countries has fallen since 2015.

The construction and healthcare industries were the hardest hit.

The government has said that it wants to attract and retain people who bring benefits to the UK.

The new official figures show that Polish nationals accounted for nearly 40% of Scotland's foreign workforce, with 8.5% from Ireland and 7% from Lithuania.

The study also found that there were 99,000 more overseas workers in Scotland in 2018 than in 2007.

The Herald:

Some 81.2% of all EU nationals aged between 16 and 64 were employed - up 0.4 percentage points over the year - and higher than at any time since 2007.

That compared with an employment rate of 74.5% among UK nationals, and 50% for people from outside the EU.

It also found that over half of all EU workers live within Scotland’s three largest city local authorities; City of Edinburgh, Glasgow City and Aberdeen City.

More than 1 in 5 EU workers are employed in the food, drink and tourism sectors.

And a quarter of EU workers are in "elementary occupations" such as cleaners, bar workers, and production workers.

Ms Hyslop added: "Valuable contributions are made to our economy, public services and society by people from all over the world who choose to make Scotland their home.

"However, our future prosperity is under threat due to the UK Government's 'hostile environment' immigration policies and their determination to end freedom of movement."

Last week official data found that long-term immigration to Britain dropped to a five-year low last year as the net inflow of European Union migrants fell to its lowest in almost a decade, extending a decline seen since Britain voted to leave the EU in 2016.

The number of people moving to Britain for more than a year, minus those leaving, sank to 258,000 in 2018 from 285,000 in 2017.

Prime Minister Theresa May, who announced her resignation after failing to get her Brexit deal through parliament , had long wanted to limit annual immigration to under 100,000.

Migration Watch UK, a group which argues for lower immigration, said the latest figures were “unacceptably high”.