40% of resident doctors in Wales facing unemployment this summer

Stephen Price

A recent survey by the British Medical Association (BMA) in Wales reveals that 40% of resident doctors are concerned that they will be unemployed from August this year.

The data which looked at the employment of resident doctors who have now completed two or more years of their foundation training also showed that 53% of doctors currently facing unemployment were unsuccessful in securing a specialty training post this year, leaving them at risk of being out of work or forced into unstable locum roles.

In total, 82% of respondents said they either currently have concerns around unemployment from Aug 2025 or have had concerns but have now secured employment.

The findings paint a stark picture of a medical workforce under pressure, with 63% of those without training posts now planning to take up locum work, which  is described by BMA Cymru Wales as ‘costly, unsustainable, and becoming rarer with employers particularly in general practice unable to pay for locums due to underinvestment.’

Specialty training

The specialty training which begins in August each year, enables doctors to develop their skills in a particular area of medicine after two or more years of general training following graduation so that they are able to progress their careers and provide specialist care to patients.

The survey also found that 46% of doctors facing unemployment are considering leaving medicine altogether and 30% are now also applying for jobs abroad.

Some doctors described applying for up to 30 posts without securing a single offer.

One doctor shared: “I was unemployed for several months and despite travelling nationally for any locum shifts available, I was unable to get enough to pay all bills. Locum shifts are scarce. ”

While another added: “Despite my ongoing commitment and experience, the uncertainty around job security and training opportunities is a major source of stress. It’s disheartening not knowing if I’ll be able to continue contributing to the health service I’ve grown to care deeply about”

Others have shared their money worries, and anxieties, with one young doctor sharing that they had been seeing a psychiatrist to help with their mental health.

The results reflect concerns raised by BMA Cymru Wales, who at the start of the year learnt that the Welsh Government had not taken on board the recommendation by HEIW to expand specialty training places, despite the growing number of medical students and foundation doctors in Wales, including those who have graduated from the new North Wales medical school.

Campaign

The BMA’s Save Our Surgeries campaign has also been calling for additional investment for general practice to train and recruit newly qualified GPs in Wales to help ease the significant pressures on the service.

Dr Oba Babs-Osibodu chair of the BMA’s Welsh Resident Doctor Committee said: “At a time when Wales needs more doctors, there are limited opportunities for resident doctors to develop their careers in the country where they trained.

“Earlier this year, we wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care warning him of the potential impact of not expanding training places, including medical unemployment.

“Doctors are now forced to seek ad hoc locum work, leave Wales, or leave the profession altogether. Poor workforce planning and chronic underfunding of the NHS has led to a national shortage of doctors in Wales.

“This is unsafe for patients, and we need to see urgent intervention from the Welsh Government, including legislation to provide safer staffing levels and an expansion in specialty training places.

“By alleviating bottlenecks in the training pipeline, we can enable doctors to progress their careers and provide the specialist care that patients desperately need”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We’re currently investing £294m into health professional education and training in Wales.

“We have supported a significant increase in the number of postgraduate medical training posts and since 2019, there has been an increase of 342 specialty training posts and 222 foundation posts. 

“We now have approximately 1,900 trainees in secondary care training programmes, and 900 in foundation training, as well as 160 GP training places every year.

“We continue to work closely with governments across the UK to explore solutions.”