The adult social care industry is forever growing within the South West region. Following a report from Skills for Care, there are over 165,000 people who are currently working in the adult social care industry. Despite this number, there are around 178,000 jobs in the South West region. On an average day, there are approximately 10,000 vacancies that are advertised looking for people to fill the role of a job within the sector.
2021 had an increase in the amount of people filling the available vacancies – 3.9% of all services, 0.4% in care homes, and a massive 8.9% in domiciliary care. In the South West region, it was reported that 64% of jobs were filled by people who were already working within the adult social care industry.
In the adult social care industry, there are around 82% of workers who identify as being female. Despite this high percentage, 80% of female identifying workers were less likely to be in managerial positions with a 68% of female workers less likely to then progress into senior management roles.
It has been highlighted that in the South West, adult social care workers earn between £32,600 and £34,300 a year. This has seen a 32% increase since 2011/2012. In the South West region, there is evidence that the amount of care workers who are paid the national living wage has increased over the last couple of years.
Over two thirds, 67%, of staff who have been working in the adult social care sector since 2015 hold the Care Certificate, particularly workers who provide domiciliary care services. Around 46% of staff hold a relevant qualification, with 42% of these workers having a Level 2 qualification or higher.
