Social care workforce grows, but ‘we shouldn’t be complacent’
New research shows the care workforce continued to grow throughout 2024-25. While the rise has been welcomed, experts warn challenges remain.
The research was published today (15th October) by Skills for Care in their annual ‘State of the adult social care sector and workforce in England’ report. The data shows the number of posts in the sector increased by 2.2% since last year.
Experts also found that vacancy rates have returned to pre-pandemic levels at 7% and the proportion of men in the workforce reached a new record for the third successive year.
‘Our latest report highlights the complex nature of the social care sector today, with encouraging signs of progress for our workforce, alongside challenges that still need to be addressed,’ Professor Oonagh Smyth, chief executive of Skills for Care, said. ‘It’s positive to see our workforce growing, and vacancy and turnover rates continuing to fall.
Other key findings include:
- The number of filled posts increased by 3.4% to 1.6 million, which marks the second-highest rise on record
- The number of vacant posts in 2024-25 was 111,000, which is a 12.4% decrease on the previous year
- The turnover rate in the independent sector reduced from 25.8% in 2023-24, to 24.7% in 2024-25
‘It’s positive to see our workforce growing, and vacancy and turnover rates continuing to fall,’ Oonagh continued. ‘However, much of this improvement is being driven by international recruitment and, as both domestic and international recruitment are slowing, we need to explore new pathways to build sustainable workforce capacity.
‘At the same time, falling qualification levels – when care roles are becoming more complex – suggest that capability, as well as capacity, is likely to be a challenge in the future. We have to ensure that people have the skills, values and confidence to do these essential roles in social care.’
Kathryn Marsden OBE, chief executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence, has echoed a similar apprehensive tone in response to the report's findings.
She said that while today’s news is positive, ‘we shouldn’t be complacent. The workforce has grown for the third consecutive year, and average vacancy and turnover rates have continued to fall. However, a detailed look at the underlying workforce pressures suggests breathing easy would be premature.’
‘Of great concern is that workers’ pay has not kept pace with increasing experience,’ Kathryn continued. ‘The report highlights that care workers with five or more years of experience are only earning 7p more per hour than new starters. A recognised career path that recognises workers’ experience with better pay is sorely needed.’
In a similar vein, Emily Hindle, head of policy at Alzheimer’s Society, stressed that dementia training levels remain ‘worryingly’ low within the social care workforce.
‘Around two-thirds of social care workers haven’t received any dementia training, meaning people living with dementia are going without the high-quality, personalised care they need and deserve,’ Emily explained.
‘Social care helps people living with dementia who need extra support to live safe, more independent and fulfilling lives. It supports them with daily activities like washing, dressing and eating, as well as helping them to do activities they enjoy.
‘It will take a society to beat dementia. That’s why we’re calling for a statutory duty to provide dementia training for all social care workers – so that everyone living with dementia receives the best possible care and support.’
The full report from Skills for Care can be accessed here.