Skills for Care response to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) annual report 2022

The Migration Advisory Committee annual report uses data and insight from our Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set to demonstrate the capacity challenges facing the sector. The report highlights the growth in care worker and senior care worker visa applications, with volumes of the latter more than doubling to 14,000 in the year to September 2022, and nearly 15,000 applications for care workers since February 2022

The report repeats a number of the recommendations made as a result of the inquiry into the impact of ending freedom of movement on the adult social care sector- including abolishing the Immigration Skills Charge for Health and Care Worker visas and making care workers permanently eligible for these visas. We know that, for some employers, abolishing the skills charge would remove a barrier to international recruitment - and making care workers permanently eligible for a visa would allow employers to include international recruitment as an option to help them address their capacity challenges. The report also refers to the Director of Labour Market Enforcement’s assessment that social care is at ‘high’ risk of non-compliance in the labour market, meaning its workers are at risk of being exploited. Fair recruitment is a priority for Skills for Care and we support employers with ethical international recruitment

We will continue to provide the sector with support, resources and webinars to navigate international recruitment as well as working collaboratively with partners across the sector to make sure social care is an attractive career choice for anyone looking for rewarding work, no matter where they come from.