PUBLIC services are facing a “mass exodus” of key workers driven out by low pay.

New research released this evening reveals that 1.8 million of the country’s 5.74 million public-sector workers who kept Britain going during the Covid-19 pandemic are quitting their jobs or considering doing so.

The research carried out for the Trade Union Congress (TUC) says that the main factor in the exodus is low pay but that excessive workloads, poor work-life balance and “morale through the floor” are playing a part.

The exodus involves almost a third of the workforce and is hitting public services already suffering unprecedented staff shortages, including the NHS and social care.

The NHS has 47,000 nurse vacancies, while the social care sector is short of 165,000 staff.

Nurses’ union the RCN says eight in 10 nursing shifts are now understaffed to the point where safety is threatened.

The flow of staff leaving also comes against a background of strike ballots involving hundreds of thousands of public-sector workers, including nurses, NHS ancillary staff and teachers. 

The RCN is balloting more than 300,000 members for the first time in the organisation’s 106-year history.

A total of 2.25 million public sector workers are balloting for strike action, and over 100,000 have already voted to walk out following ballots by lectures' union UCU. 

Public service union Unison, midwives’ union the RCM and the two biggest teaching unions NASUWT and NEU are also balloting their members this week.

The research revealed that 34 per cent of the workforce in education and 31 per cent in healthcare are in the process of leaving or are actively considering it.

The TUC says that only “decent pay rises” for key workers can stem the flow of workers away from the public sector, with the research showing that nurses’ real pay is down £4,300 compared with 2010, paramedics’ down £5,600, hospital porters’ down £1,300, and maternity care assistants’ £3,200.

Teachers have lost around a fifth of the value of their pay, according the NEU. 

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Key workers in the public sector helped get the country through the pandemic.

“But many are now at breaking point because of a toxic mix of low pay, unsustainable workloads and a serious lack of recognition.

“After years of brutal pay cuts, nurses, teachers, refuse workers and millions of other public servants have seen their living standards decimated — and now face more pay misery.

“It is little wonder morale is through the floor and many key workers are considering leaving their jobs for good.”

She said if widespread strike action hits the public sector the government “only has itself to blame.”

“Enough is enough,” she said. “It’s time to give our key workers in the public sector the decent pay rise they are owed.”

Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack said fire services also face “huge” problems.

“The government needs to get serious about rewarding public-sector workers properly,” he said. 

“No wonder so many are thinking of leaving. There is a growing disillusionment and already a huge recruitment and retention problem among retained firefighters.”