Early career midwives are struggling to find jobs in NHS trusts in England, much like their nursing counterparts.
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has published the results of a new survey of almost 1,000 final-year student midwives.
“There is a high chance I will graduate with no job”
Student midwife
This survey, which ran for a week in May, found that more than 80% were “not confident” they will find a job once graduating.
Three-quarters (75%) of respondents said they had already applied for jobs, but many reported that they were having no luck securing a post.
One student midwife, who was looking for jobs in the Birmingham area, told the RCM’s survey that none of their seven nearest hospitals had jobs lsited for newly registered midwives.
One NHS trust in the area, the student said, had said it had “no funding” for newly qualified posts.
“There is a high chance I will graduate with no job,” the student said.
“I’m 47 years old with four children and a mortgage and don’t have the option to apply out of my local region.”
The RCM claimed that funding cuts to NHS trusts had “tied the hands” of midwifery managers who were “crying out for staff”.
Nursing Times has reported on a similar trend in nursing.
This issue was discussed at the 2025 Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress, which was held last month.
There, newly registered nurses said they were having to find jobs in other industries, such as hospitality, to pay the bills due to a shortage of jobs.
Nursing Times highlighted the problem around this time last year, when final-year student nurses reported a staggering lack of entry-level posts.
Another student midwife, speaking to the RCM’s survey, described the current experience of looking for a job as “dire”.
They told the survey: “Only eight jobs became available at one trust and over 40 were shortlisted for it including myself.
“No jobs at my home trust at all and many did not get offered interviews for the other local trust which closed early as they were flooded with applications.
“There’s clearly been a failure to align workforce planning to the much-needed increase”
Fiona Gibb
“I’m really scared for my future and that I’ve accumulated so much student debt and the overall stress of the course and can’t even get my dream job at the end. I am absolutely devastated and feel like I’ve let my family down”.
Another said the difficulties were leaving them worried due to the high levels of student debt they had accrued.
Fiona Gibb, RCM director of midwifery, aired her frustration at the apparent lack of jobs, against the known issue of understaffing in maternity.
She said her organisation heard from women about how “overstretched” maternity staff were struggling to give adequate care.
“Despite this, midwifery graduates face uncertainty, with too few vacancies for them to begin work upon qualification,” she said.
“It beggars’ belief that, despite the Westminster government recognising the need to increase student places, the new midwives who are now ready are finding that the jobs simply aren’t there.
“We know we need more midwives, it’s widely acknowledged even by politicians, but there’s clearly been a failure to align workforce planning to the much-needed increase.”
Ms Gibb described it as a “worrying trend”.
She added: “We are calling on all four national UK governments to review their midwifery workforce planning approach and call a halt to the recruitment freezes that are preventing women and their families from receiving the care they need and deserve.”
