Skills for Care’s new 'State of the adult social care sector and workforce in England' report has found that the growing social care sector now contributes £77.8bn to the economy despite ongoing domestic recruitment and retention challenges.
The annual report shows that the total number of posts in adult social care increased by 2.2 per cent on the previous year, with vacancy rates having returned to pre-pandemic levels of seven per cent – which is still around three times that found in the wider economy.
Other key findings include:
- The total number of vacant posts in 2024/25 was 111,000 – a 12.4 per cent decrease on the previous year.
- The number of filled posts grew by 3.4 per cent to 1.6 million. This growth was smaller than the previous year, but still the second highest increase on record.
- The turnover rate in the independent sector decreased from 25.8 per cent in 2023/24 to 24.7 per cent in 2024/25.
- The total number of posts in adult social care in England – comprising filled and vacant posts - was 1.71m in 2024/25.
- The sector still faces long-term recruitment and retention challenges as it is projected to need around 470,000 new posts - an increase of 27 per cent - by 2040 to keep up with the projected growth in the population over the age of 65.
Skills for Care CEO Professor Oonagh Smyth said: “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.
“It’s positive to see our workforce growing, and vacancy and turnover rates continuing to fall. 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.
“To meet growing and changing care needs, we must prioritise domestic recruitment and invest in learning and development for our workforce.
“That’s why initiatives such as the Workforce Strategy that we published last year, and steps towards a Fair Pay Agreement and a National Care Service are so important. They are vital to building a thriving, skilled workforce that plays a central role in neighbourhood health – and ultimately supports people to live a good, independent life in a place they can call home.”
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Matt Seex, Editor
