Care worker numbers plummet

The number of workers in the adult care sector in England dropped for the first time over the course of a year, while the number of vacant posts increased by 52%, according to the annual audit by Skills for Care, the workforce development and planning body for the sector in England

Its research found that:

there are 165,000 vacant posts in England, the highest rate on record;

the number of filled posts has fallen by 50,000 – the first drop in the number of social care workers ever;

average vacancy rates across the sector are nearly 11%, twice the national average; and

the average care worker’s pay is £1 per hour less than healthcare assistants in the NHS who are new to their roles.

Responding to the report, Rachel Harrison, national officer at the GMB general union, said: “It’s little surprise that exhausted care workers are looking elsewhere when they are expected to survive on a whisker above the minimum wage.”

Speaking for the UNISON public services union, Christina McAnea, its general secretary, commented: “The social care sector won’t get back on its feet and deliver the support needed by millions if it can’t pay the rates needed to attract, keep and promote experienced care workers.”

https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/national-information/The-state-of-the-adult-social-care-sector-and-workforce-in-England.aspx

https://www.gmb.org.uk/news/care-worker-numbers-plummeting-needs-urgent-response

https://www.unison.org.uk/news/press-release/2022/10/unless-wages-rise-in-social-care-the-sectors-problems-will-never-be-fixed-says-unison