Following the June 23 EU referendum, technology firms including BT, TalkTalk and software firm Sage reported share price falls, whilst some went as far as threatening to leave the UK, believing that after Brexit, the country would be a less attractive option for long-term investment.
However, the latest news from technology giant Amazon shows that despite Brexit fears and the falling value of the British pound, the technology giant want to create more jobs in the UK.
Shrugging off Brexit, the e-commerce giant said in a February 20 statement, that roles would open up across three of their warehouses. This would mean 5,000 new jobs across London, Cambridge and Edinburgh.
Doug Gurr, Amazon UK's country manager, said that the creation of thousands of new jobs in the UK would also include apprenticeship opportunities: "We will continue to innovate for our customers and provide them with even faster delivery, more selection and better value."
Meet Phil, an Amazon associate who furthered his education through the Amazon Career Choice Program. Learn more at: https://t.co/h1KK7P9hll pic.twitter.com/uJYloVwGiU
— Amazon Fulfillment (@AmznFulfillment) 18 February 2017
The announcement from Amazon comes as travel giant and website Expedia plan to double the size of their London office as well.
"We see a lot of opportunity in London given the continued growth of e-commerce and technology industries and the strong pool of talent in the city," said the president of Expedia brand Hotels.com, Johan Svanstrom.
Google also confirmed shortly after the vote that its new London headquarters would be going ahead. According to some sources, the company's chief executive, Sundar Pichai, admitted to having reservations after the referendum verdict, but said he would continue with the project for a new campus in King's Cross that will house up to 7,000 employees.
Soon, Facebook followed, by announcing its own UK expansion. The social network plans to hire an additional 500 employees in the UK which would boost its British headcount by 50 percent.
Apple have also confirmed their commitment to the UK, by stating that they will open a new office in London's iconic Battersea Power Station.
And least but not last, Snap, the parent company of messaging service Snapchat, also chose to base its international headquarters in the UK.
@Change_Britain @business yeah but what does he know; Tony Blair says it's a disaster…lol
— VeronicaM (@V5M1000) February 19, 2017
As is obvious, the desire to stay and continue working as well as expanding in Britain is shared by a multitude of global tech companies — sentiments echoed by campaign group Change Britain, an organization that wants to ensure the UK make a success of exiting the EU.
Change Britain have called the news reports referring to tech companies exiting the UK as "scaremongering" and "Project Fear."
"This vote of confidence in the British economy pours cold water on the stories of economic doom we heard from those peddling Project Fear during the referendum campaign, and is further evidence that the UK remains an attractive place to do business," Chloe Westley, a Change Britain spokesperson said in a recent statement.
"Outside of the EU's single market we can strengthen our economy by building a more effective regulatory environment, and attract global investors by striking free trade deals with the fast-growing economies of the 21st Century. This will create thousands of jobs and help share prosperity right across the country," she added.
