A survey published by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) reveals that 75% of respondents have already applied for jobs, but the challenge they face in securing a job post-qualification is huge.
The RCM says funding cuts and recruitment freezes have tied the hands of midwifery managers who are crying out for staff, but they can't hire any or as many midwives as they need.
Calling on governments in all four nations to take urgent action, the RCM says this escalating crisis is due to a clear failure to align workforce planning with the reality of the care needs of women and families.
The RCM's director of midwifery, Fiona Gibb, said: ‘Report after report cites understaffing as a factor in the delivery of safe care, and midwives consistently share with us that there are too few of them to deliver the best care they know they can. We also hear first-hand from women of how overstretched staff struggle to care for them on busy maternity wards.
'Despite this, midwifery graduates face uncertainty, with too few vacancies for them to begin work upon qualification. It's 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.'
Many student members who spoke to the RCM about their concerns mentioned the debt they had accrued to train as a midwife, and worried how they would pay back their loans with no jobs after the qualify, while many have been told by trusts the lack of jobs is down to a lack of funding for posts.
Gibb added: ‘Since the removal of the bursary our student midwives have accrued thousands of pounds worth of debt to train to become midwives and now are facing the prospect no employment, despite services across the country crying out for staff, it's a very worrying trend.'
The RCM has previously raised the alarm on the financial pressures facing student midwives, particularly in England, in its State of UK Midwifery Student Finance report. It also highlighted the fact that many of those choosing to study midwifery are older students, who bring a wealth of life experience and will make excellent midwives, but often have childcare and other caring responsibilities as well as mortgages.
Gibb said: ‘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.'
