Boris Johnson praises 'heroic' public sector workers as he launches recruitment drive
Boris Johnson will on Thursday launch a public sector recruitment drive as part of his vision to “build back better” after the coronavirus pandemic.
Amid rising unemployment and redundancies in the private sector, the Prime Minister has urged more people to take advantage of the career opportunities available in schools, hospitals, prisons and police stations.
Praising the “heroic efforts” of public workers during the Covid-19 crisis, Mr Johnson added: “The fantastic teachers, police officers and NHS workers truly are the pride of the nation and embody the spirit of public duty that every one of us can aspire towards.
“Together, we are on a mission to build back better - protect our NHS, make our streets safer, educate the next generation and unleash Britain’s potential.”
It comes amid warnings that UK unemployment could hit 10 per cent at the end of the year as the furlough scheme is wound down, with the number of workers on company payrolls falling by 649,000 between March and June.
Small businesses have been particularly impacted by the pandemic, with 23 per cent cutting jobs in the last quarter, according to a recent survey by the Federation of Small Businesses.
Larger companies such as Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, British Airways have also pressed ahead with thousands of lay-offs.
However, the reverse is true in large swathes of the public sector, with Mr Johnson committed to major recruitment drives in key professions.
The Government has promised to recruit 20,000 more police officers, 50,000 nurses and 6,000 doctors, whilst also boosting teachers’ starting salaries to £30,000 by 2022 to improve the calibre of candidates and retention.
On Thursday the Government will release the number of newly qualified teachers for last year.
The Home Office will also provide a progress update on its police recruitment efforts, with Mr Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel due to visit a force to meet new recruits.
Separately, universities minister Michelle Donelan has announced that an extra 5,611 places for healthcare courses at universities have been allocated for next year, with more than 3,800 going to nursing courses.
The move follows the decision earlier this year to introduce temporary caps on student numbers to prevent prestigious institutions hoovering up applicants from less prominent rivals in order to make up for a shortfall in international students as a result of Covid-19.
The Ministry of Justice has also set out plans to hire 1,000 more probation officers by the end of the year, in a move that will see the workforce grow by 29 per cent.
Approximately 800 probation officers are already in training, and an extra 1,000 will be in training by January 1, the department said on Wednesday.
