UK’s digital skills gap might worsen if the results of a new survey come to fruition. It shows that 70% of tech workers think about leaving after Brexit.

The data comes from the recruitment firm Hired. People seem to be very negative about what’s going to happen when the UK leaves the European Union. The tech firms in the country have already started to prepare for this and have shifted their hiring focus. This has lead to the drop or job offers to people outside the UK by almost 30%. At the same time, the number of candidates from outside of the UK has also dropped by about 20%.

According to Hired, things aren’t all bad, though. The company sees it as a cautionary period after the referendum. There are still many details that are yet to be finalized. The UK is already working on a new visa platform which should help the talented and qualified workers get easy access to the local job market. Until that happens though, people will refrain from heading over.

Sadly, this can’t come soon enough. The survey shows that many IT pros already feel the local tech sector has taken a serious hit. 72% of tech workers say Brexit has made the UK IT Industry uncertain and 71% worry about its future.  75% expect Brexit will have a negative effect on the innovation in the UK, too.

The future looks bleak for the startup industry, too. 41% of workers say it’s less likely for them to start their own company after Brexit. 85% feel that Brexit and the restriction of movement for EU workers will have a negative effect on the whole UK economy.

London is currently the unofficial capital of the fintech industry. That is also expected to change with many companies already looking to shift at the least their EU businesses in Berlin or other EU capitals. Hired’s survey also shows that many of the most talented workers and entrepreneurs are looking for opportunities elsewhere.

This leaves the UK to solve its digital skills gap on its own. The government received criticism for the lack of support for startups. And that’s despite the several hubs its setting up, plus the digital skills programs which aim to provide as many people as possible with additional or basic digital skills. Even so, it can’t move as fast as the IT industry needs, so the problems won’t be solved in the short term future.