The UK healthcare sector saw a fall in job applicants with recent data showing a 42% decline in jobseekers applying for vacancies between June 2022 and July 2022, according to recent research from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) and Broadbean Technology.

The number of healthcare sector vacancies also fell 14% month-on-month, which contributed to the fall in application rates. The data also shows that yearly applications plunged 51% when comparing July 2022 to the same period in 2021.

According to APSCo and Broadbean, the decline complicates preparations for a potential Covid-19 surge during the colder months.

Another key contributor to this decline in applicants is likely to be the ‘underwhelming’ pay increases that staff in the sector are experiencing, with year-on-year salaries rising 3% at a time when inflation rates are expected to reach 13% by the end of the year.

The regional picture for 2022 found that Greater London has had by far the highest number of job vacancies for medical and nursing roles in 2022 so far, with 10,072 vacancies in the months leading up to July.

The capital was followed by the West Midlands (3,614), West Yorkshire (2,214), Greater Manchester (2,180), Surrey (2,142) and Essex (2,081.)

When analysing Application per Vacancy (APV) rates, out of the top 10, Surrey had the highest APV, with 11 applications for every role, followed by Greater London (9), West Yorkshire (7), West Midlands (7) and Kent (6).

Ann Swain, CEO of APSCo, said, “The sudden notable drop in healthcare application numbers from June to July 2022 will be a worry for recruiters and employers alike. While it’s abundantly clear that more needs to be done to entice people into the sector, what could be of more concern are the number of people leaving the sector due to burnout or less than satisfactory pay rises. With salary showing just a 3% yearly increase and staff shortages amplified by Brexit, the sector is facing an incredibly tough time. For this reason, the government may need to re-evaluate and step in to aid recruitment and retention within the sector.”