Adult social care vacancies fall to decade low as registered nurse numbers rise

The number of registered nurses working in England’s adult social care sector rose by around 1,000 over the past year to 36,000 – the highest level since at least 2019-20 – as overall vacancies fell to their lowest in a decade.

The increase, shown in figures published by Skills for Care, marks a continued recovery in the registered nursing workforce, which had fallen to 32,000 in both 2021-22 and 2022-23 before climbing over the following three years.

The figures accompany Skills for Care’s Size and Structure of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England report, which found that the wider workforce continued to expand in 2025-26.

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There were 22,000 more filled posts than the previous year, an increase of 1.4%, although this was a smaller rise than in each of the previous three years.

The sector’s vacancy rate fell to 6.2%, down from 7% in 2024-25 and the lowest level recorded since 2015-16. This equates to around 96,000 vacant posts on any given day.

Vacancy rates also eased in care homes with nursing, falling to 3.9% over the year, while the number of filled posts in those settings rose by 1%, or around 2,900 posts.

Despite the improvement, Skills for Care noted that vacancy levels in adult social care remain around three times higher than those in the wider economy.

Growth in the workforce has increasingly relied on overseas recruitment. The number of posts filled by people with a British nationality fell by 40,000 during the past year and by 130,000 since 2020-21.

At the same time, changes to immigration rules have contributed to a fall in international recruitment, with the number of workers recruited directly from overseas dropping to 30,000 in 2025-26, down from 50,000 the previous year and 105,000 in 2023-24.

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Looking ahead, Skills for Care estimates that a further 410,000 adult social care posts will be needed by 2040 to meet the needs of England’s ageing population.

Oonagh Smyth, chief executive 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.’

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Ms Smyth added that a ‘long-term, collective approach’ would be needed, with Skills for Care bringing partners together to develop a 10-year plan to attract more people into the sector as part of the Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care in England.

The findings were based on data from Skills for Care’s Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS), which holds information on more than 760,000 people across over 21,000 care-providing locations.