Yvette Cooper has announced plans to shut down care worker visas in a push to cut migration – but there’s a catch.
🚫 Ending Care Worker Visas
The home secretary told the BBC that the government would phase out care worker recruitment from abroad. She said it was “time to end” this visa route, which accounted for around 50,000 low-skilled workers. Cooper argued that this kind of migration “undermines the economy” and that too many Brits are “not in work, not in training and being on benefits instead.”
📉 But There’s a Massive Vacancy Problem
However, the House of Commons’ own research from October tells a different story. Social care has a massive staffing shortage, with an average vacancy rate of 8.3% in 2023/24 – that’s around 131,000 empty roles.
The report also noted that vacancies only fell in recent years because of increased international recruitment. It warned that despite a slight drop, the sector’s vacancy rates remain “high compared to the wider UK economy.”
💼 Low Pay, High Demand
The problem runs deeper than just headcount. Social care jobs tend to offer low pay and limited career progression, making them a tough sell for UK workers. Despite this, Cooper insists it’s time for a change.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, she said, “We’re going to change those rules this year to prevent the care worker visa being used to recruit from abroad.”
😡 Critics Hit Back
Unsurprisingly, the move sparked a backlash online. Some accused Labour of copying Reform UK’s hardline stance on immigration. Reform has long called for a complete freeze on non-essential migration.
Labour backbencher Clive Lewis weighed in, writing on X: “Rather than better pay & conditions… the government has opted to make the alternative for UK workers a choice between poverty out of work or in-work poverty.”
