70,000 Social Care shortfall by 2050

The UK needs to recruit an additional 70,000 social care workers by 2050 in order to satisfy the long-term needs of the country in line with projected population growth, according to specialist recruiter Randstad Care.

Previous Randstad Care research forecast that in order to support the predicted UK population by 2050, the social care workforce would need to be 162,000 strong and would need to grow by over 1,500 a year from 2008.

But rather than growing by 7,500 in the past five years, the sector has actually shrunk by 8,000 since 2008, meaning that the workforce is currently 12.6% below the level it should be by 2013 to reach its 2050 target.

Victoria Short, managing director of Randstad Care, said: “Recent employment figures, while encouraging, have papered over some fundamental cracks in the UK workforce. A negative perception of the social care profession still persists. Following bad publicity in the sector, we recorded a downturn in motivation among social workers. In addition, reports of low pay and long hours can put many people off choosing to pursue a career in social care. New initiatives such as the Frontline scheme to attract high calibre graduates into the sector are vital to challenge existing perceptions. It can be done, as we have seen in nursing previously.

“However, it’s a problem that can’t be solved simply by attracting talent in the first place, the system must be set up to support as well.  There is a huge shortage of placements and a lack of experience among Newly Qualified Social Workers can often prevent them from entering the profession. That’s why we use buddying schemes in some of our regions to help NQSW’s get onto the career ladder.”