Social care vacancy rates have returned to pre-COVID levels according to the latest annual Skills for Care ‘Size and structure of the adult social care sector and workforce in England’ report.
According to the report, the 2024/25 vacancy rate fell to seven per cent – a return to levels seen prior to 2021/22, when the rate peaked at 10.5 per cent.
The total number of vacant posts in 2024/25 was 111,000 – a 12.4 per cent decrease on the previous year – while 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 number of posts filled by British nationals continued to fall, decreasing by 30,000 (three per cent) in 2024/25. However, the number of international recruits also fell – from 105,000 in 2023/24 to 50,000 in 2024/25.
The sector faces long term recruitment and retention challenges. It is projected that around 470,000 new posts – an increase of 27 per cent – will be needed by 2040 to keep up with the projected growth in the population over the age of 65.
Skills for Care CEO Oonagh Smyth said: “It's encouraging to see the sector continuing to grow and the vacancy rate falling back to pre-COVID levels.
“But we can't afford to be complacent as some of this will be down to the fall in vacancies in the wider economy, which we know always benefits our sector. We need to protect ourselves from the wild swings in vacancy rates driven by the wider economic picture.
“It’s important to recognise that, while the vacancy rate in social care has reduced, it’s still three times that of the wider economy. And the data show that we’ll still need 470,000 more posts by 2040, so all of us in adult social care need to stay focused on workforce issues.
“Building resilience means investing in stable recruitment and retention and making roles more attractive to the domestic workforce over the long term. That includes improving development opportunities, improving the quality of roles and supporting positive cultures within organisations.
“Everyone – from government to care providers, from regulators to frontline staff – has a role to play in building the workforce we need to deliver the best possible care and support for the people in our communities who draw on local services.”
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Matt Seex, Editor
