The UK Jobs Migrants Are Rushing to Fill—Because Brits Refuse to Do Them, You Won’t Believe What Job Tops the List!
In the UK, a growing number of important jobs are being filled by people who move from other countries. This includes jobs in healthcare, technology, accounting, and business. A recent study by *The Telegraph* looked into which jobs attract the most workers from outside the UK, and the results show just how international the country’s workforce has become.
One of the biggest areas where foreign workers are needed is care work. This includes taking care of the elderly, disabled, or people who are sick. Between 2021 and 2024, over 111,000 work visas were given to people from other countries to come to the UK and work in care. Many of these people came from Nigeria and Zimbabwe, with over 22,000 visas issued to citizens from each of those countries. A large number of Indian nurses also came to the UK—more than 33,000 visas were granted to them during this time. That shows just how much the UK depends on health and care workers from abroad.
Besides care jobs, many South Africans came to the UK to work in accounting. Nearly 1,500 of them received visas to work as chartered accountants, which is a respected and well-paid job. Migrants from Japan and the small island country of St Kitts and Nevis also stood out because they earned high salaries—around £55,200 per year on average. They often worked in roles like sales account management and business development, which involve helping companies grow and bring in more money.
People from Israel were another group that earned well. About 92 Israelis were granted work visas between 2021 and 2024, and they made an average salary of £54,669. Many of them worked as software developers or programmers. In fact, programming and tech-related jobs were also the top career choices for people coming from Hong Kong, Hungary, and Croatia. These kinds of jobs usually require strong computer skills and pay well.
Not everyone coming to the UK earned high salaries, though. Migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Kenya were more likely to work in lower-paying care jobs. These roles are still very important but tend to pay less—about £25,570 a year. Even though the pay is lower, many people from these countries still choose to come because the work is steady and needed.
Overall, Indian citizens received the highest number of work visas, with more than 33,000 given out during the same period. Next were workers from Nigeria with over 22,000 visas, and then those from Ukraine with more than 20,000. These numbers show how much the UK relies on workers from abroad to keep things running in key areas like health, care, and technology.
The research also shared some personal stories from people who moved to the UK for work. One of them was Harry Reeves, a 28-year-old paramedic from Australia. He explained that ambulance services in the UK are under more pressure than in Australia because of the larger population and higher demand. But he said that’s one reason why many Australian paramedics, including himself, decided to come to the UK. With more demand comes more job opportunities, better training, and clearer structure. Harry said that being a paramedic wasn’t officially a registered profession in Australia until 2018. Before that, people just trained on the job. But when things changed and many students began studying paramedicine in university, there weren’t enough jobs for all the new graduates. That’s when the UK started going directly to Australian universities to recruit paramedics. After working in Australia for six years, Harry accepted the offer to move to the UK, and as part of his relocation, he got his flight costs covered and free housing for his first month.
Another person who shared her story was Pearl Cruz, a 43-year-old nurse from Mumbai, India. She said that nursing has a long history in India. It began during the colonial period when British nurses helped set up healthcare services in the south of India. Over time, nursing became seen as a respectable career for Indian women. Pearl explained that decades ago, many Indian nurses moved to the United States for work. But more recently, as the UK’s need for nurses grew, India and the UK started working more closely to bring in trained nurses.
Pearl moved to Birmingham in July 2023. She now works in a research role focused on blood-related illnesses (haematology). Back in India, she had a senior job, overseeing the quality of care in her hospital. Even though she held a high position, she chose to move to the UK for new opportunities and to be part of the NHS.
Harry and Pearl’s stories are just two examples of a much larger trend. More and more people born outside the UK are now working in the NHS and other key sectors. Back in 2010, about 11 out of every 100 NHS workers were born abroad. But by 2023, that number had grown to more than 18 out of every 100. This shows how much the UK’s public services now depend on international talent to fill important roles and keep things running smoothly.
