Small firms in the UK could be damaged by migrant workers deciding to return home, a new survey suggests.
In news which might be of interest to business insurance customers, the number of small firms employing workers from overseas has more than doubled in the last two years, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Research by accountancy firm Tenon shows that in 2006 just 21 per cent of small firms had non-UK workers in their pay, this is now 48 per cent.
According to Andrew Jupp, if these workers do decide to return home the resultant skills gap will give small business owners "a headache they can do with out".
This is because of the cost of training domestic workers to replace departing staff, he stated.
Recently, a survey by Baker Tilly found that 98 per cent of firms believe that the current economic downturn will last at least two years.
It also found that 78 per cent of respondents expect 2009 to be tougher than the past 12 months.
