New report shows the social care workforce is showing more stability

Vacancy levels in England’s adult social care sector remain about three times higher than in the wider economy, underscoring the ongoing challenge of recruitment and retention, according to the latest Skills for Care workforce report.

The report, Size and structure of the adult social care sector and workforce in England, also shows that the number of posts filled by people with a British nationality fell by 40,000 over the past year and by 130,000 since 2020/21.

While the number of non-British workers has increased, the removal of a dedicated international visa route means that the number of new international recruits recruited directly from abroad fell to 30,000 in 2025/26, the lowest level in four years.

Social care workforce numbers and vacancy rate stay stable

Workforce numbers overall, however, continued to grow in 2025/26, marking the fourth consecutive year of expansion. Although there were 22,000 more filled posts than the previous year, an increase of 1.4%, this is the slowest growth rate in four years.

The vacancy rate also fell to 6.2% in 2025/26, the lowest since 2015/16. This equates to around 96,000 vacancies on any given day, down 10.5% on the previous year.

Oonagh Smyth, CEO of Skills for Care, said: “It’s encouraging to see vacancies fall to their lowest level in 10 years and the workforce continuing to grow. This reflects the hard work and commitment of employers across the sector to attract and retain staff in a challenging environment.

“However, the longer-term picture remains difficult. Vacancy rates are still significantly higher than the wider economy, domestic workforce numbers are falling and there is no dedicated visa route for international recruitment – all of which highlight the scale of the challenge ahead.

“We need a long-term, collective approach. Skills for Care is bringing partners together to develop a 10-year plan to attract more people into adult social care and support them to build rewarding careers. This work is central to delivering the Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care in England and ensuring the sector has the workforce it needs for the future.”

The findings are based on data from Skills for Care’s Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC‑WDS), which contains information on more than 750,000 people across over 21,000 care-providing locations. This data helps build a detailed national picture of the workforce and supports planning, policy development and decision-making across the sector.

Need to grow a sustainable domestic workforce

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) said that encouraging workforce progress must not distract from the need to grow a sustainable domestic workforce.

Gerard Crofton-Martin, Interim Chief Executive at SCIE, added: “The latest data gives grounds for cautious optimism. It is encouraging to see vacancy rates return to the lowest levels in a decade and the workforce continue to grow.

“But one of the key drivers of workforce growth in recent years has been international recruitment. International colleagues have made an invaluable contribution to social care. However, changes to the migration system mean that international recruitment alone cannot provide a sustainable long-term answer to the sector’s workforce challenges. This is against a backdrop of a reduction in British nationals joining the workforce. Together, these trends expose the fragility of the sector’s workforce pipeline.

“The progress shown in this year’s figures is welcome, but sustaining it will require long-term workforce planning and investment. Social care must be seen as a valued career with clear progression opportunities, competitive pay, and access to high-quality learning and development. Building a strong domestic workforce is essential if we are to create a resilient social care sector capable of meeting growing demand in the years ahead.”

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Learning Disability Today.

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