The vacancy rate in England's adult social care sector has fallen
to its lowest level in a decade, according to new data published
by Skills for Care the national charity that
works to strengthen England's adult social care
workforce.
The latest Size and structure of the adult
social care sector and workforce in England report shows
that the workforce continued to grow in 2025/26, marking the
fourth consecutive year of expansion. There were 22,000 more
filled posts than the previous year- an increase
of 1.4% although this is the
slowest growth rate in four years.
The report also highlights a significant drop in vacancies. The
vacancy rate 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.
Despite this progress, vacancy levels in adult social care remain
around three times higher than the wider economy, underlining the
continued challenge of recruitment and retention within the
sector.
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.
Looking ahead, the data point to ongoing long-term
challenges. To meet the needs of an ageing population, the sector
is projected to require a further 410,000 posts by 2040.
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 (ASCWDS),
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.
Notes to editors
- Figures from previous years are retrospectively changed
when new information becomes available or methodologies
improve.
- The number of vacant posts includes short-term vacancies due
to recent or anticipated staff turnover, posts created
by employers who want to expand their businesses, as well as more
persistent vacancies where the offer to potential staff is not
sufficiently competitive in the local labour market. Some vacant
posts may be covered by agency staff.
