An independent review undertaken by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has revealed that, whilst many migrant care workers find the idea of working in adult social care attractive, they generally see it as a short-term career option.

The review, commissioned by the Minister of Future Borders and Immigration, was designed to understand the impact that the ending of Freedom of Movement between the UK and EEA in January 2021 had on the adult social care sector, focusing on the long-term consequences for the workforce recruitment, training and employment terms and conditions.

As part of this work, the MAC carried out an online Call for Evidence and commissioned Revealing Reality to conduct qualitative research to explore these issues from the perspective of migrant care workers and employers within the adult social care sector. Alongside this, the MAC also interviewed direct employers of personal assistants and employment/introductory agencies involved with the recruitment and supply of personal assistants.

Unsurprisingly, almost all employers consulted had been struggling in recent years to recruit the full workforce they needed. Many described having experienced these challenges for a few years, even before Brexit, with growing competition within the workforce against other better paid and less demanding sectors. Many employers in the sample believed, however, that the ending of Freedom of Movement in January 2021 had exacerbated challenges in recruitment, with the sharp reduction in the pool of potential candidates in the UK having had both direct and indirect impacts on the sector.

Not only had most organisations in the sample reported a significant drop in applications from EU citizens (often described as a vital workforce stream), but some employers believed that the reduction in the potential UK workforce had also created significant demand in other sectors. These other sectors appeared to have more flexibility to adjust salaries and attract candidates away from adult social care. Indeed, several migrant care workers in the sample described the draw of other sectors, such as hospitality and healthcare.

Many of the migrant care workers interviewed had been attracted to the sector as they perceived it as being easy to move into, given the high demand for workers and a lack of requirements for specialised qualifications. Employees described the draw of the flexibility that the sector could provide, the offer of zero-hour contracts, and the ability to choose shifts.

There was some anecdotal evidence that this appetite to work in adult social care in some cases existed before migrant care workers had moved to the UK. Some in the sample spoke of being informed of the high demand for work in the British adult social care sector before moving to the UK, and that it would be a good job to have if they wanted to start work immediately. Until recently, however, it had been impossible for any of these employees to come over on the Skilled Worker route. They had come over via other means, such as dependant and student visas.

However, most employees did not see themselves working in the sector long-term. Care work was seen as a ‘stepping stone’ for a period of their lives when they were in particular need of flexible work, or whilst they were building skills that would allow them to move into higher-paid work. Many employees in the sample, particularly those who were younger, did not imagine that they would stay in the sector for more than a couple of years, suggesting that the impact of the ending of the Freedom of Movement has not yet been fully felt. Whilst some employees in the last cohort of migrants that came over before the ending of Freedom of Movement might still be in the sector now, this may not necessarily be the case in two years.

Some employers in the sample thought that the addition of care workers to the Skilled Worker route might help them in their recruitment efforts, but the hourly salary appeared to present a challenge.

The report showed that there is a clear need to increase the pool of potential candidates who might work in the UK adult social care sector. During fieldwork for this project, the UK government attempted to aid the process of widening the potential social care workforce in the UK via changes to migration policy. In February 2022, it took the significant step of making it possible for care workers to come to the UK on a Skilled Worker visa.

This attempt to help the sector via migration policy was supported by many employers in the sample. Several were considering engaging in sponsorship and some said they had started the process of applying for a licence at the time of the interview. However, several other employers interviewed said they were not going to be able to make use of the route, at least in the short term. They saw the biggest barrier as being the salary requirement – whilst the annual threshold felt just about achievable for some employers, many were paying less than the minimum hourly rate of £10.10. With tight funding from local authorities, some employers in the sample felt they would not have the flexibility to improve wages in the short to medium term.

A lack of flexibility in funding meant that the direct and indirect costs attached to sponsorship were also seen as a barrier by some employers in the sample. Whilst some employers said that the sponsorship costs would be smaller than those they were currently paying to hire agency staff, for others the sponsorship costs seemed prohibitive and would restrict the number of people they could sponsor.

Some employers said they found the option of a hypothetical route, similar to a youth mobility scheme, attractive, as it would remove the barriers of cost and salary requirements posed by the Skilled Worker route. However, this hypothetical option was not necessarily seen as a better option than the Skilled Worker route by everyone, as many felt it would not directly tackle adult social care’s specific recruitment issues – it would simply widen the general pool of workers in the UK, with employers still having to compete against other sectors.

A common theme across the interviews conducted with employers who were considering the new visa route for migrant care workers was concern about delays. Some employers who had pre-established overseas recruitment routes before Brexit said they thought it would take time to re-establish them, as they had often been built on a chain of word of mouth. Those employers who had never directly recruited overseas were often unsure of how to do so and explained they would need time to research the options to them.

Some employers who had started the process of sponsorship described having experienced additional delays in the process itself. Some of the employers who were unfamiliar with the process described having made mistakes or needing time to understand the mechanics of the process. No employers that we spoke to had managed to bring over care workers on the route yet, despite having started the process, though this is likely to be due to the timing of fieldwork.

Several employers who were thinking about engaging with sponsorship said they were delaying their full use of the route on purpose. For these employers, sponsorship was a new process and needed to be ‘tested’. Fears of getting things wrong and not being sure whether sponsorship would financially pay off meant that many employers were choosing to only bring a small number of employees over on the route in the first year. They explained that they might bring over more people in the future if it felt worth it.

The full benefits of the addition of care workers to the Skilled Worker route are likely to only be felt if the route is available for several years. Many of the employers in this sample felt they would need at least a year to master and trust the process.