Newly qualified midwives left unemployed amid ‘chronic’ staff shortages

Almost a third of newly qualified midwives are unable to find a job – even though there are “chronic” staff shortages across the sector, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said.

As a result, many have tuned to roles in hospitality, retail, office work and cleaning jobs, an RCM survey found.

Midwifery leaders said it was “troubling” that newly qualified midwives are being left unemployed at a time when “maternity services are struggling with staff shortages”.

The RCM surveyed 312 midwifery graduates who had secured their professional registration, at the end of 2025.

Some 31 per cent said they had not been able to secure a post.

The college said that many of those who had found employment were working in “less than ideal conditions”, with 55 per cent of fixed-term contracts instead of permanent contracts.

Some 53 per cent of those in work said they were not working full time.

The RCM said there is a “disconnect” between the number of midwives in education and the number of “secure and sustainable” roles for them.

The college warned that financial constraints and NHS recruitment freezes are “pushing out” newly qualified midwives before they have even started their careers.

Fiona Gibb, director of midwifery at the RCM, said: “These results are deeply worrying and it is troubling that newly qualified midwives, who have worked hard and are ready to contribute to care, are being left unemployed, working in non-clinical roles or trapped in insecure jobs.

“This uncertainty is having a serious impact on graduates’ wellbeing, with many experiencing anxiety, stress and loss of confidence at the very start of their careers.

“Alongside this, financial pressures are mounting, as graduates struggle to meet living costs, repay student loans, and plan for their futures without stable employment.

“At a time when maternity services are struggling with staff shortages, we should be doing everything we can to bring these newly qualified professionals into the workforce.

“Instead, they are being failed which is undermining the future maternity workforce we so desperately need.”

She added: “For years, the RCM has warned that maternity services are operating without enough midwives to provide consistently safe, personalised care.

“Yet this survey shows newly qualified midwives – registered and ready to work – are being left without jobs.

“The Government needs to urgently invest in permanent posts so newly qualified midwives can enter the profession and help deliver the safe care that maternity services urgently need.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “No one who dedicates themselves to a career in midwifery should be left in limbo, when their skills are so urgently needed to rebuild our NHS.

“That’s why this Government’s graduate guarantee delivered 700 additional roles for newly qualified midwives on top of existing recruitment, backed by £8 million in funding.

“We now have a record 31,024 midwives working in the NHS, and our 10-year workforce plan will set out how we will train, recruit and retain the midwifery workforce for the long term.”