Why does Britain need migrant care workers?

• Britons shun care jobs due to low pay, tough work
• New migration rules bar hiring of vital foreign workers
• As population ages, demand for carers set to soar

LONDON - Low pay, staff shortages and a tough job - no wonder Britain's care homes are struggling to fill vacancies.

Now, industry leaders say that could get even harder due to the British government's plans to prevent care sector firms from recruiting abroad - part of sweeping immigration reforms aimed at cutting net migration over the next four years.

Here's a look at how the new rules will affect the country's care sector and why it matters:

What has the government said and what has been the reaction?

The government announced the immigration reforms on May 12, saying it wants to rely less on overseas workers and invest more locally. Under the new plans, companies in the care sector will no longer be able to seek visas for workers recruited abroad.

But as demand for care workers grows in tandem with an ageing population, recruiting British workers alone might not be enough to fill the gap, experts said.

The number of over-65s in Britain is set to reach 14.5 million by 2040, according to Skills For Care, a workforce and planning body for adult social care.

Adult social care bodies say the decision is a "crushing blow" to a sector already struggling with poor wages, high vacancies and intense scrutiny after damning reports, including an investigation by Context last year, revealed widespread abuse and exploitation of migrant workers.

In a statement outlining the new rules in May, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also said that the 40,000 foreign care workers who were duped by rogue care providers will be allowed to find new jobs within Britain.

Why are there staff shortages in the care sector?

Although some 105,000 foreign care workers were recruited in 2023-24 to help bolster the sector, the industry's vacancy rate of 8.3% is nearly three times higher than the wider economy, according to a 2024 report by Skills For Care.

It added that the number of British people working in care decreased by around 70,000 over the last two years.

With median hourly pay of 11 pounds ($14.46), according to Skills For Care, social care jobs are among the lowest-paid in Britain, with workers earning the same as shop assistants though slightly more than cleaners.

"Unless we do something about the underlying problem with the underfunding of the system, which in turn leads to too low pay, then we're not going to fix the problem," said Simon Bottery, a senior fellow of social care at The King's Fund health charity.

How many foreign workers have care jobs in Britain?

The care sector in Britain is heavily dependent on foreigners, as the wages can be competitive versus those in their home countries but are considered low in Britain where living costs are high.

About 26% of the workforce is foreign, with most coming from Nigeria, India, Zimbabwe, Romania and Ghana, according to 2024 data from Skills For Care.

Demand for jobs intensified in 2022 after Britain opened up a new visa route for overseas workers to help fill more than 160,000 vacancies in the care sector following the COVID-19 pandemic and Britain's departure from the European Union.

Skilled visas granted to health and care workers peaked at 145,823 in 2023 - the highest across all sectors that year according to official immigration data - but fell to 27,174 last year after the government vowed to crack down on migrant care worker abuse.

An overseas carer in Britain earns a minimum 25,000 pounds ($33,005.00) a year in Britain – well below the national average of 37,430 pounds in 2024 but many times what teachers in Zimbabwe earn.

Why is the care industry worried?

Many industry bodies worry the sector will struggle to provide quality care without foreign workers as it faces staff shortages and soaring demand.

"For years, the sector has been propping itself up with dwindling resources, rising costs, and mounting vacancies," said Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, which represents independent adult social care providers.

"International recruitment wasn't a silver bullet, but it was a lifeline. Taking it away now, with no warning, no funding, and no alternative, is not just short-sighted - it's cruel."

Skills For Care estimated that a further 540,000 carer jobs will arise by 2040 as the British population ages.

The Homecare Association, a national body, said the elderly and those with disabilities will be greatly affected.

"Care providers are already struggling to recruit within the UK. We are deeply concerned the government has not properly considered what will happen to the millions of people who depend on care at home to live safely and independently."

This story was updated on May 13 following the latest developments on the UK's immigration reforms. 

($1 = 0.7575 pounds)

(Reporting by Lin Taylor; Editing by Helen Popper and Ana Nicolaci da Costa.)