Summary
The government's new immigration plans will stop recruiting care workers from overseas, which care providers say will hurt their ability to fill jobs. The social care sector in England is already facing serious staff shortages, with thousands of vacancies and a growing need for services.
Key Facts
- The government plans to end the practice of hiring care workers from other countries.
- England's social care sector had 131,000 job openings last year despite hiring from overseas.
- Care companies fear losing international recruits will make it hard to keep services running.
- The government wants to reduce immigration and create a more controlled system.
- Care providers can extend current visas and hire migrants already in the UK without jobs.
- Social care has struggled with funding cuts, a lack of staff, and rising demand for services.
- Historically, care workers' pay and status have not improved much despite their contributions.
- There were 165,000 social care vacancies between April 2021 and March 2022, a significant rise from the previous year.
- The UK saw a sharp increase in care workers arriving from overseas, with 80,000 in 2022/23 and 105,000 in 23/24.
- Abuse of the international recruitment system led to some workers facing exploitation.
