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Library picture: A UK Border Force officer is seen checking cars as they approach the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais, France, 12 August 2018. Photo credit: Gary Perkin/Shutterstock.com 

After the country’s Brexit vote, the government wanted to take back “full control” of its borders but many industry leaders feel the plan will end in disaster. Factories, warehouses, pubs and restaurants will no longer be able to rely on cheap EU labour and many could close with substantial job losses. 

So how dependent are the UK’s low-skilled jobs on cheap EU labour?

According to data from the Migrant Observatory reported by The Guardian, some 21 percent of all low-skilled factory and construction workers in the UK came from EU countries in 2017. Among factory and machine operators, the share is also significant at 17 percent.

This chart shows the percentage of workers in the UK who came from EU countries in 2017

This article and chart originally appeared on the blog of Statista, a data firm, and are republished with permission.