The GMC’s Workforce report 2025 raises a sharp early warning about the UK’s job market for newly arrived international doctors: among doctors who joined the UK register via the IMG PLAB route in 2024, only 13% had a connection to a designated body (DB) within six months of first registering.

The report explains why this matters. Some routes into UK registration, such as IMG sponsorship are typically tied to an employer and a specified role. But the IMG PLAB route is often a more speculative pathway, used by doctors who do not have guaranteed employment at the point of registration. Historically, many PLAB joiners do go on to find work: the report notes that 89% of 2021 PLAB joiners had a DB connection three years after first registering, and 91% of 2022 PLAB joiners had connected by that point.

However, the report argues that while it is “too early” to judge the 2024 cohort over multiyear timelines, comparing cohorts on sixmonth DB connection rates is informative. On that metric, the drop is striking: 26% of the 2021 cohort and 26% of the 2022 cohort connected within six months, compared with 20% for 2023 and 13% for 2024.

The GMC describes DB connection as “a strong indication of having found employment,” because DB affiliation is linked to revalidation and is typically tied to a clinical governance structure. The report says the 2024 pattern “hints at more challenging conditions” in the employment market for doctors seeking their first UK job after PLAB registration.

What this does and doesn’t prove: The report does not claim DB connection is a perfect proxy for employment, and it does not assert why the sixmonth rate fell. Timing factors (start dates, onboarding, HR clearance, governance processes) could influence early DB connection rates. But the scale of the drop, and the report’s decision to headline it, indicate that this is not being treated as routine variation.

Why it matters: The foreword emphasises the high stakes for doctors making life decisions to migrate. The report argues that doctors should have access to the “best available evidence” and a realistic understanding of potential outcomes, and that maintaining fairness and transparency is essential. It also suggests that if the UK’s “landing zone” becomes less predictable, particularly for doctors arriving without sponsorship there are risks not only to individuals but also to service provision that relies on international talent.