BRITAIN’S decision to leave the European Union may open up a “kangaroo route” for more Australians to live and work overseas.

It may also benefit Australian bosses, with the number of British jobseekers searching for work Down Under doubling in the hours following the Brexit decision.

International jobseeker site Indeed said job searches from UK residents interested in Australian jobs increased by 190 per cent in the hours after the vote.

It also sparked a 220 per cent increase in those looking for jobs in Ireland, possibly reflecting concerns from UK residents about losing the benefits of being part of the EU.

Indeed chief economist Tara Sinclair said cities like Sydney and Melbourne had always been magnets for British job seekers, who were attracted to the location, lifestyle and lower cost of living when compared to London.

But the biggest advantage for Australian employers right now was the strength of the Australian dollar against the British pound.

“With the British pound slumping to a 31-year low following the Brexit vote, it gives Australian employers a lot more clout when it comes to recruiting the best and brightest from the UK,” Ms Sinclair said.

Brexit could also make it easier for Australians to work in the UK.

Ms Sinclair said UK jobs that would normally be filled by EU citizens, may instead go to skilled job seekers from other parts of the world, particularly Commonwealth countries like Australia.

“If the automatic right of EU citizens to live and work in the UK ends, British employers will need to look further afield to attract the best talent and overcome chronic skill shortages at home,” Ms Sinclair said.

“Commonwealth countries like Australia, with its deep historical ties, are most likely to benefit if and when the UK starts to dismantle its EU participation.”

This could see a welcome reversal of the current trend, which has seen a 40 per cent drop in the number of Aussies working in the UK since 2008, after visa requirements and jobs were changed to favour eurozone residents.

Fewer than 15,000 Australians managed to get work visas from the UK Home Office.

Australia’s high commissioner to the UK, Alexander Downer, has already suggested Brexit could be an opportunity for Australia to renegotiate its visa arrangements with the UK.

“There are all sorts of restrictions on Australians right now and whether there’ll be opportunities to change that when the new arrangements come into place, we simply don’t know. But we should try in any case, and that’s what we’ll do,” Mr Downer told ABC radio.

Ms Sinclair believes Brexit will create a “whole new ball game” in years to come, with Britain looking to build new trade and political ties.

Boris Johnson, the former London mayor who led the Leave campaign, has already suggested Britain could adopt a “free mobility labour zone” between Commonwealth countries.

Last year he also proposed an Australia-UK agreement to allow greater movement of skilled people between both countries.

“The two-way flow of skilled talent between Australia and the UK has always been strong, but relaxing visa restrictions for Australians would open up an important new ‘kangaroo route’ that benefits both countries,” Ms Sinclair said.