DMS provider Pinewood has recruited seven graduate software developers from Vietnam as a result of an increase in competition in recruitment following the Brexit vote.

Following the vote to leave the EU employers have found it increasingly difficult to recruit from the EU. The UK is now, Pinewood said, less attractive to EU workers due to value of the pound and the uncertainty about their futures.

This has led to more employers, like Pinewood, to look further afield.

Based in Birmingham, the DMS provider employs more than 200 people with more than 10% from outside of the UK.

Pinewood recruits from the EU and has also attracted software developers from South America, Africa, Russia and Asia.  

“We are working harder than ever to source talent from other parts of the world. We’re also focussing on building home-grown talent,” says Lara Mazzolari, HR business partner.

“Following work with local colleges and universities, over 10% of our team are placement students or apprentices, building their skills with us and ready to join the team when they graduate.”

Since 2008 the UK has operated a points-based visa system for skilled non-EU workers with a maximum number permitted of 20,700 per year. 

Following the Brexit vote, this service has been significantly oversubscribed with up to four times the number of applications from UK employers wishing to recruit.

Recent changes to the system have meant that the NHS visa applications are no longer included in the visa cap of 20,700, effectively increasing the number of visas available to businesses like Pinewood. 

Pinewood recently welcomed 20 undergraduate placements – a mixture of software development and business students.