Social care needs the right skills – now more than ever

The ongoing lack of staff in the social care sector has been attributed to a number of factors – the aftershocks of Brexit, a lack of long-term workforce planning from the NHS and the government, concerns that pay is not rising with the cost of living and the pressure on staff that these skills shortages are causing. Whichever has the biggest part to play, the result is that several roles in social care, including social care workers, care assistants and home care workers are now included on the government’s Shortage Occupation List.

Furthermore, we’re seeing these shortages translate into our own research – findings from our latest Social Care Salary & Recruiting Trends guide indicate that nearly all (97%) employers were unable to recruit for all the skills they needed when recruiting last year, which well over half (59%) attribute to fewer new people looking for a career in care.
 

At a glance: key stats from the Social Care Salary & Recruiting Trends guide

• 93% of employers plan on recruiting in the next 12 months
• 73% increased their employees’ salaries last year outside of the National Minimum Wage increase
• 61% of professionals plan to move job in the next 12 months
• 49% of professionals are dissatisfied with their current salary

Social care hiring plans continue unabated

With pressure on social care services continuing to build, employers are faced with an ever-increasing challenge to recruit people with the right skills – and the right values – to deliver on a testing programme of activity. Not only this, but – despite funding restraints – the skill-mix and scope of the social care workforce has adjusted as demand for care increases and the requirements of users change.

In light of this, recruiting plans remain strong, with 93% of employers planning to hire in 2023. Permanent recruitment – in particular – is a priority for 82%, in comparison to only 35% who are looking to hire temporary, contract or interim staff. The majority of employers (80%), however, expect to face a shortage of suitable applicants this year. Over half (52%) expect applicants to come with unrealistic salary requirements, a significant increase from 38% last year.

Employers are casting their search for talent wider as a result – well over three quarters (78%) would be open to hiring a professional who does not possess all the required skills with the intention of upskilling them.

“With providers increasingly reliant on agency support to augment their own recruitment activities, developing strategic partnerships with key suppliers can leverage necessary agency spend into long-term transformative outcomes.”
 

Cost of living driving salaries up

Soaring vacancies that are proving difficult to fill and widespread headlines around the cost-of-living crisis within the social care sector are driving organisations to take action to retain their current staff.

Over the last year, most employers (73%) increased their workforces’ salaries outside of the April 2022 increase to the National Minimum Wage, compared to only 60% who did so the year before. Nearly three quarters (71%) attribute these pay rises directly to the rise in the cost of living.

Overall, pay across the social care sector rose by 4.8% compared to 3.8% the year prior. The highest increases were within adult and children’s social care roles (6.5%) compared to a 2.5% increase across adult and children’s social work.

Increased salaries have not translated into greater salary satisfaction, however. Almost half (49%) of professionals say they are dissatisfied with their current pay compared to 41% last year, with 60% saying they do not think their salary adequately reflects their responsibilities.
 

Growing awareness of need for flexibility

Unpredictable rotas, unsociable hours and long distances between clients have traditionally made social care a sector that’s not very conducive to flexibility. This is, however, something that professionals inevitably prize highly, and it’s vital that employers endeavour to meet their expectations within the dimensions of what’s possible within their business. Whether this consists of advanced notice of shift patterns, predictability of working hours, or input into their own schedules, improving the perception of fairness is key to employee engagement and retention.

24/7 demand for services, for example, present an opportunity for professionals to express preferences for shifts that suit their lifestyles. 42% of professionals place high value on having flexible or personalised shift rotas when considering a new role, something that’s offered by 35% of employers.

A further 39% of employers currently offer hybrid working to staff, nearly two thirds (61%) of whom say this is a new policy. 43% of these employers agree that introducing hybrid working has increased staff retention. Allowing as much flexibility is possible is crucial – 53% of professionals could be tempted to change organisation if permitted to choose how often they were in the workplace when working in a hybrid fashion.
 

Key takeaways for professionals and employers

The challenges of the hiring landscape in social care are such that – in order to secure the skills needed to deliver against soaring activity levels – roles need to be marketed to showcase their flexibility, social value and potential for structured progression.

If you’re looking to hire, avoid confusion by ensuring that expectations of working hours are communicated clearly at recruitment stage, as well as establishing open communication around work-life needs. It’s important that staff feel the system is fair, which is where a team-based approach to scheduling can also help.

For professionals looking to move, initiating an open dialogue from the start around how much flexibility you can achieve will be critical to working out an arrangement that works for both parties. Getting a clear idea of what support is available with career progression, whether this is via professional certifications or development schemes, will also help you establish which role is the right one for you.

Before you start your job hunt, consider what you’re really looking for from an opportunity, so that when you speak to your recruiter, they can help match you to the one that will get you where you want to go.

Find out how salaries and employment trends are changing in the social care profession by requesting access to the Social Care Salary & Recruiting Trends 2023.