LONDON 

First-year doctors in England have voted overwhelmingly in favor of strike action amid concerns over job security and a shortage of specialty training places.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said Monday that the vote reflects growing frustration over a system where more than 30,000 doctors are competing for just 10,000 specialty training spots in 2025.

The ballot, which had a turnout of 65%, saw 97% of foundation year one doctors support industrial action.

This gives resident doctors a separate mandate for strikes alongside an ongoing dispute over pay restoration.

A recent BMA survey of more than 4,000 resident doctors found that 34% reported having no substantive employment or regular work from August this year.

Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s Resident Doctors’ Committee (RDC), said the vote sent a clear message that job insecurity during a workforce crisis in the National Health Service (NHS) was unacceptable.

“Doctors have spoken clearly: they won’t accept that they face a career of insecurity at a time when the demand for doctors is huge,” he said.

“We do not want to have to strike, but we will if we are left with no choice. The government has the power to end both of these disputes now. It must use this opportunity to make the changes that are desperately needed.”

Fletcher highlighted that the number of specialty training places has not kept pace with applications, leaving thousands of doctors facing unemployment despite a critical NHS staffing shortage.

This year alone, 30,000 doctors applied for just 10,000 first-round training places.

While the government has acknowledged the shortage, its 10-year plan for the NHS in England includes only 1,000 additional training places over three years, according to the BMA.

The dispute over job security is now linked to the ongoing fight over pay, with resident doctors having suffered a 21% erosion in pay since 2008.

Fletcher said addressing both issues together could help stabilize the workforce and improve patient care.