Adult social work vacancies persist despite improvements in recruitment and retention

An estimated 7.8% of social worker posts in local authorities remained vacant in 2025/26, despite a decline in vacancy rates since their recent peak, according to Skills for Care’s latest annual report on the adult social care workforce.

The report, The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England 2026, estimates that there were 22,000 filled social worker posts across adult social care during the year, including 20,100 in local authorities and around 1,900 in the independent sector. A further 5,300 adult social care social workers were employed by the NHS but are excluded from these estimates.

The local-authority social worker vacancy rate fell from 11.6% in 2022/23 to 7.8% in 2025/26, although this still represented around 1,500 vacant posts.

Skills for Care’s figures suggest that recruitment pressures have eased from their recent high, but that local authorities continue to face challenges in ensuring sufficient staffing capacity.

The report also highlights differences in retention between social workers and the wider adult social care workforce. The estimated annual turnover rate for local-authority social workers was 11.3% in 2025/26, compared with 22.1% across adult social care overall.

Skills for Care notes that social workers are predominantly employed by local authorities, where turnover is lower than in the independent sector. The figures therefore reflect differences in employment settings as well as the experiences of different professional groups.

Pay is another important part of the workforce picture. The estimated mean full-time-equivalent annual pay for local-authority social workers reached £45,300 in 2025/26, an increase of 5.4% on the previous year in nominal terms.

After adjusting for inflation, average pay increased by 1.5% over the year. However, the report estimates that social workers in local authorities were paid 3.9% less in real terms in 2025/26 than they were in 2016/17.

The findings underline the distinction between recent pay increases and longer-term changes in purchasing power. Although average salaries have risen over the past decade in cash terms, inflation means that this has not translated into an equivalent increase in what social workers can afford.

The report also considers the relationship between workforce stability and the quality of adult social care services, highlighting the role of experienced registered managers.

Care worker turnover was higher in establishments where the registered manager had been in post for less than a year, at 28.3%, compared with 20.6% where the manager had at least 20 years’ experience in the role. Skills for Care says the findings highlight the importance of stable leadership in improving retention.

Establishments with more experienced registered managers also tended to receive higher Care Quality Commission assessment ratings. While these findings relate to registered managers and care establishments rather than social work managers specifically, they point to the potential importance of workforce experience and leadership continuity across adult social care.

Commenting on the wider findings of the report, Professor Oonagh Smyth CBE, Chief Executive at Skills for Care, said:

"This feels like a defining moment for adult social care. The Prime Minister has set out an ambition to build 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.

"It's positive to see that the adult social care workforce is becoming more stable. This year's report shows that employers who invest in their workforce through good employment practices, development opportunities and strong leadership are more likely to retain staff and deliver high-quality care.

"The report also shows the increasingly important role social care plays in supporting health and care delivery, with many care workers now undertaking delegated healthcare activities as part of their role.
However, workforce growth is slowing, and we must continue to attract more people into adult social care to meet future demand. In particular, we need to do more to attract younger people and men into the sector, as set out in the Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care in England. Continued investment in workforce development, leadership and career pathways, including scaling up the Care Workforce Pathway, will be essential if we are to build the sustainable workforce needed to deliver high-quality care in the years ahead."