Labour have today published a new white paper which outlines measures to ban new recruitment from abroad for care roles.
The white paper has been created by the government as part of a wider effort to reduce legal migration and prioritise UK-based workers.
After the decision was revealed unions, care providers and charities have accused ministers of putting an already stretched services at risk and claimed the decision will see the quality of care delivered massively plummet.
‘Cutting off international recruitment before a domestic solution is in place puts the cart well before the horse,’ Professor Martin Green OBE of Care England said. ‘The Fair Pay Agreement and the Employment Rights Bill, as outlined by the government, are years away from implementation and remain underfunded and undefined. They cannot replace what is being taken away now.
‘Let’s be clear – this decision is not a solution. It is a political gesture that treats the symptoms but ignores the disease. Rather than investing in the sector and solving the recruitment crisis, the government is closing the door on one of the only workforce pipelines still functioning. Social care is not low-skilled work. It is high-skill, low-pay work that deserves respect, proper recognition and meaningful investment.’
To give context on the current recruitment crisis plaguing the social care sector, the latest statistics from Skills for Care show there are around 131,000 vacancies. What’s more, in 2023 over 58,000 overseas care workers came to the UK on skilled worker visas – almost half of all new entrants to the care workforce.
Meanwhile, data also demonstrates that international recruits have a lower turnover rate (30%) compared to domestic recruits (41.1%).
Echoing a similar tone to Professor Green, Christina McAnea, general secretary of Union, the UK’s biggest organisation representing health and care workers, said international recruits are the only reason why the health and care sector is still standing.
‘The NHS and the care sector would have collapsed long ago without the thousands of workers who’ve come to the UK from overseas,’ she explained. ‘Migrant health and care staff already here will now be understandably anxious about what’s to happen to them. The government must reassure these overseas workers they’ll be allowed to stay and continue with their indispensable work.’
Photo by pisauikan via UnSplash
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