Social care sector faces looming shortage of workers due to post-Brexit immigration rules – iNews

The social care sector faces a looming shortage of workers due to post-Brexit immigration rules, a report for the Government has admitted.

The report from the Migration Advisory Committee said the rules are expected to deprive the UK of a non-negligible source of foreign adult social care workers and that European Economic Area (EEA) nationals have been a non-negligible contributor to securing adequate care workforce in an ageing society, accounting for 5.9 per cent of the social care workforce in 2017.

At their conference today, the Liberal Democrats will table a motion calling on ministers to relax current rules to make it easier to recruit social care staff from Europe and tackle the staffing crisis in UK care homes.

Under the post-Brexit points-based immigration system introduced in January this year, most social care worker jobs do not qualify as skilled workers and so candidates are excluded from that route.

The Lib Dem motion will also call for ministers to accept the recommendation from the MAC report to extend the governments Youth Mobility Scheme, which currently allows citizens aged 18-30 from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan to come to the UK for two years, to European nations.

The party wants to see the schemes upper age limit raised to 35 to attract more workers into the social care sector.

LibDem foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said: Social care staff across the UK have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to keep us safe.

However, the Governments zealous commitment to reducing immigration at all costs is having a hugely damaging impact on this vital sector.

Even their own reports show that their new immigration rules do nothing to help fill the 120,000+ social care vacancies, with even senior care home workers often not being able to meet the Governments arbitrary salary threshold to come to the UK.

These rules are putting thousands of jobs, and hurting small businesses that are already struggling with staff shortages and the impact of the pandemic. It also means staff will continue to be overstretched and unable to give people the time and attention they need.

We should be rebuilding social care and giving our carers a fair deal, not making their jobs harder than they already are.

Liberal Democrats want to see the Youth Mobility scheme extended and the age limit raised from 30 to 35. This will open the door for thousands of more skilled care workers to come to the UK, giving overstretched social care services the urgent support they need.

i has contacted the Home Office for comment.

Read more here:

Social care sector faces looming shortage of workers due to post-Brexit immigration rules - iNews