A third of UK jobseekers would consider working in social care: a guide for taking action to improve recruitment, retention and progression

The Covid-19 pandemic has put social care in the spotlight. Alongside this, Brexit brings an additional recruitment challenge to a sector that continues to face labour shortages and high churn rates. In fact, the number of adult social care jobs is expected to rise by 32% by 2035 in order to meet the needs of the UK population and provide care to the people who need it.

Along with leading think-tank the Work Foundation, we’ve taken a deep-dive into the social care industry, specifically looking at recruitment, retention and progression in the sector.

Recruitment

We found that a third (31%) of UK jobseekers would consider a career in care, while 53% say they now have a more positive view of social care off the back of the Covid-19 pandemic. While it’s positive that public perceptions of working in social care have improved, misunderstandings around the realities of this career path could result in a high churn of potential new hires.

Retention

Meanwhile, over a third (37%) of existing social care staff are motivated to look for a new role in the search for higher salaries, better progression, less stressful work and the need to feel more valued. 14% are looking to leave the industry altogether, meaning the sector is losing talented, caring people while still recovering from the impact of Covid-19 on staff and their clients.

Progression

A lack of career progression is one key factor driving social care workers to look for a new role. In fact, almost half (49%) of care workers say that more opportunities for progression would encourage them to stay in the sector.

Recommendations

To improve turnover rates, social care providers should refine their employer brand messaging to position care as a long-term career for potential candidates, with opportunities to train and progress. With this, creating a people-first culture where social carers feel valued in their day-to-day work is essential for retention.

Recommendations for care providers

Off the back of this research, alongside engaging with current social care workers, employers and sector bodies, the following actions can help to attract and retain a thriving workforce:

Recommendations for policymakers and sector bodies

Off the back of this research, alongside engaging with current social care workers, employers and sector bodies, the following actions at policy level can support social care providers in attracting and retaining a thriving workforce:

Download the report – Social care: a guide to attracting and retaining a thriving workforce

Watch the on-demand webinar

On 8th June 2021, Totaljobs and the Work Foundation took a deep dive into the social care sector, revealing insights from our research, including:

• How perceptions have shifted towards social care post-pandemic and the opportunity this presents to care employers.
• Ways to attract a new generation of workers with the right values and expectations.
• The benefits and progression pathways carers are asking for – and how to embed these across your business.
• Recommendations for reducing critical churn and developing a future-ready workforce.

Jon Wilson, CEO of Totaljobs Group and Melanie Wilkes, Head of Research at the Work Foundation, presented the findings before turning to a panel of industry, recruitment, and policy experts to dissect the implications alongside Care UK, Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Care England.