Extreme air pollution is driving expatriates out of Beijing and making it much harder for companies to recruit international talent, according to anecdotal accounts from diplomats, senior executives and businesses that cater to the expat community.

No figures are available on how many people are planning to leave following three months of the worst air pollution on record in China’s capital. But companies that mainly serve foreign residents are bracing for an exodus around the middle of the year when the school term ends.

“We’re anticipating this summer will be a very big season [of relocations out of Beijing] for us,” said Chad Forrest, north China general manager for Santa Fe Relocations, a global moving service. “It seems a lot of people, particularly families with small children who have been here a few years, are reconsidering the cost-benefit equation and deciding to leave for health reasons.”