Newly qualified midwives are having to take up roles in other industries despite “chronic” staff shortages across the sector, according to a new survey.
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) claims almost a third of midwifery graduates are unable to find employment and many are turning to roles in hospitality, retail, office work, and cleaning jobs as a result.
The situation has been called “troubling” by midwifery leaders, at a time when they say “maternity services are struggling with staff shortages”.
The RCM surveyed more than 300 newly qualified midwives who had secured their professional registration, at the end of 2025, with 31% saying they had not been able to secure a post.
Many of those who had found employment were working in “less than ideal conditions”, according to the RCM, with 55% of those on fixed-term contracts rather than permanent contracts.
Some 53% of those in work said they were not working full-time.
The RCM said there is currently 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.
‘They are being failed’
Fiona Gibb, the RCM’s director of midwifery, said the uncertainty over employment is “having a serious impact on graduates’ wellbeing, with many experiencing anxiety, stress, and loss of confidence at the very start of their careers”.
Ms Gibb also claimed that a lack of “stable employment” was leading to added financial pressures, with graduates struggling to meet living costs and repay student loans.
She called on the government to invest in permanent posts, adding: “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.”
Read more from Sky News:
Measles cases continue to rise in England
Two teenagers found dead at holiday park
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.
The spokesperson said the government had delivered 700 additional roles for newly qualified midwives, backed by £8m in funding.
They added: “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.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Over the last few months, Sky News has been putting a spotlight on maternity care in the UK, with hundreds of women sharing their stories following the release of an interim report by the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation last year.
Baroness Amos, who is leading the investigation, said “nothing prepared her” for the amount of “unacceptable care” families currently receive.
