A difficult situation can create opportunities for others, which is what is happening to Caribbean health workers. Leading employment site Caribbean Employment has published new trends showing how international labour shortages are benefiting Caribbean healthcare workers.
For the UK, this data comes as another new report by UK MPs has also highlighted that the NHS is facing its worst ever workforce crisis. In terms of need, the NHS is looking for 12,000 hospital doctors and over 50,000 nurses and midwives.
In response to labour shortages, employers in the US, UK, Canada and other Western countries are seeking workers in the Caribbean with tempting offers.
Attracting packages
Given the current labour climate in countries around the world, employers are even offering attractive relocation packages, encouraging Caribbean workers to travel to countries such as the UK and US to take advantage of these job opportunities.
This phenomenon of mass recruitment in the Caribbean is not new. Over the years, dozens of Caribbean countries have formed partnerships with international governments in the US, Canada, the UK and elsewhere to attract skilled labour from the region.
Which strategy
However, one of the questions that need asking goes beyond the financial gain; ‘what is the inclusion strategy that companies are putting in place to welcome these people into their new workplace?’ Studies have shown that BAME experiences a lot of discrimination in the NHS (harassment, pay gap, career stagnation).
Businesses are making grand promises to attract them during the crisis, but it is also important to ensure that they create space where Caribbean healthcare workers can really thrive.
Joe Boll, CEO of Caribbean Employment, said: “We manage thousands of international vacancies, which allows us to quickly observe trends in the global recruitment market. The huge skills shortage in many Western economies is forcing employers to focus their efforts on attracting international workers, which we see in abundance in the Caribbean.”
