Recruitment & Jobs

Overview  •  All Recruitments & Jobs Agencies

Recruitment & Jobs overview by Harvest Staff Ltd

An introduction to recruiting Care Sector Staff from overseas

• National demographic changes - the so-called "greying" of the population.
• Competition from other sectors, more attractive, better paid
• CRB + POVA raise the barrier to entry
• Lack of appeal in the care industry, poor perception
• Land prices in affluent area and the coastal effect (commuting distances are greater on the coast)
• Skills shortage (NVQ strategy is flawed)

• Habitual reliance on agency staff
• Higher turnover of staff
• Staff doing more than +25% overtime
• Critical shortages during school holidays
Recruiting care staff from overseas represents part of a solution to the shortage which will remain with us country for another 15 years or so (due to demographics). Once a decision has been made to recruit overseas staff, two of the main options are:

• Employer must prove shortage of resident workers
• Job and worker must be "skilled" (e.g. NVQ3, Diploma)
• Home Office procedures are a major barrier to entry
• Applicant checked at the Work Permit and Visa stage
• Employers find Work Permit applications nearly impossible
• Work Permit restricts movement between jobs
• Employers limited on total number of Work Permits

• Complete range of skills available
• Can do any job available
• With no Government supervision, it can be difficult to verify their credentials
• No barriers to free movement
• An excellent way to fill a large number of un-skilled vacancies
• But Romania and Bulgaria currently face harsh regulations which require Home Office approval (known as an Accession Worker Card)

Are only granted to bona fide UK employers who can prove they have skilled jobs that they cannot fill by conventional methods. Each application is considered on its own merits and relatively few circumstances are approved by the Home Office. Vacancies must be advertised throughout Europe (with few exceptions these days). Work Permits are issued for up to 5 years. From the 5th year, the holder may seek unlimited leave to remain in the UK.

An agency who offers to obtain Work Permits on behalf of an employer is called a Representative Organisation. They are regulated and must hold a valid O.I.S.C. registration number.

A Work Permit is non transferable between employers, locations or different jobs. A Work Permit holder is permitted to take up a limited amount of additional work whilst the Work Permit conditions remain satisfied. If they have a dependant (such as a spouse) he/she may do any work available to them so long as the Work Permit holder remains in work. A Work Permit must be accompanied by a valid Leave to Remain (often known as a Visa). A Work Permit costs £190 although some nations are exempt (for example, Croatia and the Ukraine).

Any citizen of the Accession States of the EU who joined in May 2004, such as Poland, Latvia and Czech Republic (commonly known as the A8, although they comprise 10 countries, Cyprus and Malta already had certain rights) may work in the UK doing any job offered to them. They must however complete a Worker Registration within 28 days of commencing work: - failure to do so can leave the employer liable to prosecution. The first Worker Registration (WRS) costs £90. Subsequent changes of employment must be notified to the Home Office but are not charged for.

Contact Harvest Staff Ltd