![Donna Wood, Nurse and NHS Ebola volunteer (15652582937)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Donna_Wood%2C_Nurse_and_NHS_Ebola_volunteer_%2815652582937%29.jpg)
A key worker, critical worker or essential worker is a
public-sector
The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, infr ...
or
private-sector
The private sector is the part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government.
Employment
The ...
employee who is considered to provide an
essential service. The term has been used in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
in the context of workers who may find it difficult to buy property in the area where they work.
["Key Worker Living programme"]
Directgov
The term was also used by the UK government during announcements regarding
school shutdowns invoked in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
to indicate parents whose occupations entitled them to continue sending their children to schools which were otherwise shut down by government policy, as well as teachers and LSAs at those schools.
Definition
A key worker is a
public sector
The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, infra ...
or private sector employee who is considered to provide an "essential service".
Key workers jobs that cannot be done remotely
* Energy. Many of the jobs in this field, which includes mining and oil extraction, cannot be done remotely.
* First responders. These are the people communities depend on in emergencies, such as paramedics, firefighters and police.
* Education and child care. Making sure children can grow academically even during a pandemic means vaccinating teachers, their support staff, and daycare employees.
* Agriculture and food production. Many of the outbreaks at the onset of the pandemic were in meatpacking facilities and other food-processing plants.
* Critical retail. (i.e. grocery stores, hardware stores, auto mechanics etc.). Keeping supermarket employees safe makes it possible for others to stay fed while restaurants are temporarily shut down.
* Critical trades. (i.e. construction workers, electricians, plumbers, etc.)
* Manufacturing. These jobs (producing goods) cannot be done remotely.
* Corrections workers. Prisons are the types of closed facilities where the coronavirus can spread quickly.
* Postal Service workers. This group makes sure vital packages get delivered, along with providing other key services.
* Public transit workers. These are the people who make it possible for other essential workers to get to their jobs.(e.g transportation systems)
Key workers jobs that may be done remotely
* Transportation and logistics. These are the workers who ensure that stores’ shelves remain stocked and other key supplies get where they're needed.
* Food service. States decide which facilities and restaurants are big enough for their employees to get vaccinated in this group.
* Shelter and housing. These are the construction workers and contractors responsible for the construction and repair of houses and other buildings.
* Architects and designers. Responsible for designing buildings and fixtures for both the public administration and the private sector.
* Finance. Families need financial advisers to help them navigate the recession that has accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic.
* Information technology and communication. Videoconferencing and other internet technologies have become a lifeline for many families and businesses during 2020.
* Media. Making sure the public is accurately informed is vital during this public health crisis.
* Legal. While demand for legal services has declined significantly in 2020, these professionals remain essential for many proceedings.
* Engineers. Workers in these occupations play a major public safety role by guaranteeing that projects meet the appropriate standards and guidelines.
* Water and wastewater. Keeping the water supply safe means being able to keep these professionals on the job.
Applications
Military
During the Second World War in Germany, professionals who were indispensable to carry out a military, transport or administrative defence task could be freed from military service in the German Wehrmacht. They could be granted status as a key worker ("Schlüsselkraft") per § 5 Abs. 2 WehrGesetz. The term is still in use if reservists of the German Army (Bundeswehr) cannot attend military exercises, for example.
House prices
![Key Worker Housing - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Key_Worker_Housing_-_geograph.org.uk_-_603684.jpg)
As of 2005, use of the term had become more prominent in the UK as escalating house prices resulted in a gap between household income and the cost of housing. Many local authorities and other public sector bodies, especially in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and the
South East
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
, where a "Key worker living scheme" operates
[Key worker living scheme]
", Department of Communities and Local Government, 20 September 2006 have been facing major problems recruiting and retaining their workers many of whom are on lower levels of pay than the private sector in terms of housing in most cases the social rented sector is unable to provide low cost housing for rent or shared ownership.
", City of London In response initiatives have been designed to house key workers, including low-cost loans and
shared ownership Equity sharing is another name for shared ownership or '' co-ownership''. It takes one property, more than one owner, and blends them to maximize profit and tax deductions. Typically, the parties find a home and buy it together as co-owners, but so ...
schemes.
[Ask the expert: Key worker mortgages]
, BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
, 27 January 2005
The key worker living programme defined key workers to include:
* Clinical
National Health Service
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
staff including doctors and dentists
*
Teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
s and
nursery nurse
Early childhood education (ECE), also known as nursery education, is a branch of Education sciences, education theory that relates to the teaching of children (formally and informally) from birth up to the age of eight. Traditionally, this i ...
s
*
Police officers
A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
,
police community support officer
A police community support officer (PCSO; cy, swyddog cymorth cymunedol yr heddlu, SCCH), or as written in legislation community support officer (CSO; cy, swyddog cymorth cymunedol, SCC) is a uniformed member of police staff in England and Wal ...
s and some civilian police staff
*
Prison officers
A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been ...
and some other prison staff
*
Probation Service
Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offence (law), offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration.
In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarce ...
staff
*
Social worker
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...
s,
educational psychologists
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
, and therapists
*
Local authority
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
planners
*
Firefighter
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...
s,
fire safety engineer
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are pr ...
s
*
Connexions personal advisers
* Some
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
personnel
*
Environmental health officer
Environmental Health Officers (also known as Public Health Inspectors or Environmental Health Practitioners) are responsible for carrying out measures for protecting public health, including administering and enforcing legislation related to enviro ...
s
*
National Highways traffic officer
National Highways traffic officers, previously Highways Agency traffic officer (HATO), are a part of National Highways.
In April 2004, Highways Agency traffic officers began working alongside police on motorways in the West Midlands. The n ...
s
* Railway workers
etwork Railfreight and passenger trains
The definition can be extended to include those support staff without whom the above roles may struggle to function.
[Key Worker Qualifying Roles]
, Ashford Borough Council Ashford may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Ashford, New South Wales
*Ashford, South Australia
* Electoral district of Ashford, South Australia
Ireland
*Ashford, County Wicklow
*Ashford Castle, County Galway
United Kingdom
* Ashford, Kent, a town
* ...
Immigration
While Austria does not define the term key worker itself, it implies it is a skilled worker from a long and annually adjusted list of "shortage occupations". It defines self employed key worker, as someone whose self-employed "occupation creates macroeconomic benefit going beyond its own operational benefit in Austria".
COVID-19 pandemic
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, UK schools were closed except for children of "key workers" defined by the government. To obtain a school place, at least one parent had to be a key worker.
Work was not restricted to key workers: other workers could still go to work if they could not work from home.
The UK government on 19 March 2020 defined which groups of staff are considered Key Workers or Critical Workers for schooling purposes, with the following definitions:
* Health and social care. This includes but is not limited to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, pharmacists, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK's health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributors of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.
* Education and childcare. This includes childcare, support and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.
* Key public services. This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.
* Local and national government. This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response, or delivering essential public services, such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms-length bodies.
* Food and other necessary goods. This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery, as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines). This also includes cleaners in supermarkets.
* Public safety and national security. This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic), fire and rescue service employees (including support staff), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.
* Transport. This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.
* Utilities, communication and financial services. This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and
financial market infrastructure
Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fin ...
), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage), information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.
References
External links
* Martin, Geoff,
Just what is a 'key worker'?, ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', March 21, 2001.
{{COVID-19 pandemic
Employment in the United Kingdom
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
Public economics
Occupations