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 (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.
The full Size and structure of the adult social care sector and workforce in England report is available now on the Skills for Care website: www.skillsforcare.org.uk/sizeandstructure
