The Skills for Care’s latest State of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England report shows that while vacancies and turnover have fallen, the workforce growth is slowing, and fewer British people are joining the industry.
Professor Oonagh Smyth, Chief Executive, Skills for Care, said: "The task ahead is not simply to fill vacancies, but to build a workforce people choose to join, develop and stay in."
She recalled that Prime Minister Andy Burnham had recently called for building a National Care Service, free at the point of use, with greater recognition for care workers and a stronger relationship with the NHS.
"That ambition reflects the fact that there can be no sustainable reform of care without a sustainable, skilled and valued workforce," Symth added.
The total number of posts in adult social care in England in 2025/26 stood at 1.69 million. This was an increase of 0.6% (10,500 total posts) from 2024/25.
As at 2025/26, there were 1.59 million filled posts in adult social care in England, an increase of around 1.4% (22,000 filled posts) from 2024/25.
There were 96,000 vacant posts, a decrease of 11,500 (10.5%) from 2024/25.
Skills for Care also reported fewer British workers in the sector and a significant reduction in international recruitment, raising concerns about future workforce supply as demand for care continues to grow.
Fewer British workers
The overall number of posts filled by British workers across all job roles decreased from 85% of the workforce in 2020/21, to 67% in 2025/26.
This is a decrease of 130,000 posts over the period, including 40,000 over the last year.
Overseas workers
On the other hand, the estimated number of internationally recruited workers in 2025/26 has fallen to 30,000, from 50,000 the previous year.
This is partly due to the closure of the Health and Care Worker visa route to new overseas applicants from July 2025.
However, the social care workforce continues to be ethnically diverse, with 61% being people of White ethnicities, lower than the economically active population in England (79%).
The three most common non-British nationalities among adult social care workers in 2025/26 were Nigerian (27%), Indian (17%) and Zimbabwean (9%).
Understanding the nationalities represented in the workforce is important for workforce planning, particularly in relation to international recruitment, retention and future workforce supply, the report said.
Young people underrepresented
Young people remain underrepresented in the workforce, accounting for just seven per cent of workers compared with 12 per cent of England’s economically active population, according to the report.
Meanwhile, staff aged under 25 recorded the highest turnover rate of any age group at 35.5 per cent.
This decreased to 27.3% for those aged 25 to 29 years, while the lowest turnover rate was seen in care workers aged 50 to 59 (18.4%).
The mean average age of the adult social care workforce was 44.0 years in 2025/26, with 27% aged 55 and over.
Care workers and support workers recruited internationally between March 2022 and March 2026 had a lower average age of 35 years.
The turnover rates were highest among care workers employed on a zero-hours contract (29.8%), compared to those with more than 35 contracted hours (19.1%).
Turnover was higher among care workers who had recently started their role, with those with less than one year of experience in their role topping the list (33.7%), while those with over 20 years experience had 12.6% turnover rate.
Ageing population
The population in England aged 65 and above is projected to grow from 11.4 million to 14.1 million between 2026 and 2040.
The 90 and over age group is expected to see the greatest amount of growth, with a 79% increase between 2026 and 2040 (from 550,000 to 990,000 people).
The 85 to 89 age group is expected to see the second greatest amount of growth, increasing by 41% from 960,000 people in 2026 to 1.36 million in 2040.
By 2040, to cater to the population aged 65 and over, the sector will need an additional 410,000 posts (24% growth).
Stable care system crucial
Responding to the report, NHS Alliance Chief Executove Sir Ciarán Devane, said: “These findings show just how essential a stable, skilled and supported adult social care workforce is – both for the social care sector itself, and to help solve some of the most severe pressures on the health service.
“Longstanding issues around pay, working conditions and access to training have made it harder to recruit and retain staff, contributing to workforce shortages across the sector.
“A fragmented social care system is a problem in itself, and because of the knock-on impact it has on the NHS. Social care must now urgently be put on an equal footing with the health service, so people get the support they need to keep them out of hospital and in their homes.
“As the government makes plans to create a better funded, universal national care service, it must make sure that social care is a great place to work, so it can attract and retain the staff the sector needs.”
