Recruitment and Retention Skills for Care: A Deep Dive Analysis

As a specialist care recruitment agency, Ocala Recruitment supports over 60 care services with their recruitment needs. So, reading and analysing the Skills for Care annual report for 2022/23 is naturally very interesting to us. Here is our analysis in regard to the recruitment and retention section of the report, which can be found here.

The recruitment and retention dynamics within England's adult social care sector, as detailed in the Skills for Care annual report for 2022/23, offer a rich tapestry of data and trends. Here we will delve into these intricacies, providing a comprehensive analysis for stakeholders such as human resources professionals, policymakers, and care providers.

High Turnover, Yet Hope in Retention

The report highlights a staff turnover rate of 28.3% in the sector, translating to about 390,000 individuals leaving their positions annually. This figure is significant, yet it's crucial to note that 59% of these exits are from individuals transitioning to other roles within the sector, rather than leaving it entirely. This internal mobility suggests a workforce committed to the sector but seeking growth or change within it.

The Turnover Trend: A Comparative Perspective

The turnover rate has seen a slight decrease from 28.9% in 2021/22 to 28.3% in 2022/23. This decline is more pronounced in the independent sector, dropping from 31.7% to 30.4%. A key factor in this reduction is the increased recruitment of international staff. This trend highlights the global nature of the workforce and underscores the importance of diverse recruitment strategies.

Role-Specific Turnover Rates: A Closer Look

Care workers experience a notably high turnover rate at 35.6%, more than double that of senior care workers (15.3%). The discrepancy can be attributed to the better pay, guaranteed hours, and more training opportunities available to senior care workers. These factors are strongly linked to retention, suggesting that enhancing job quality across all roles could mitigate turnover rates.

Registered nurses in the sector also have a high turnover rate of 32.6%, compared to other regulated professions and significantly higher than their counterparts in the NHS (10.9%). This disparity points to potential issues specific to nursing roles in social care that require targeted interventions.

Vacancy Rates: A Decreasing Trend

The vacancy rate in the sector has decreased to 9.9% in 2022/23, down from a peak of 164,000 vacant posts in 2021/22. The inclusion of care workers in the Shortage Occupation List has been instrumental in this change. However, this rate is still higher than pre-pandemic levels, indicating ongoing challenges in attracting and retaining staff.

Sector-Specific Vacancy Dynamics

The decrease in vacancy rates is more significant in residential services than in non-residential services. This could reflect varying demands, working conditions, or the attractiveness of different care settings. The data suggests that non-residential services, despite improvements, still face considerable recruitment challenges.

Comparison with Other Sectors

The adult social care sector's vacancy rate stands higher than the NHS and the wider UK economy. This highlights the unique challenges faced by the sector in terms of recruitment and suggests the need for specific strategies to make social care roles more appealing and competitive.

Sickness Absence: A Sector in Line with National Trends

The workforce in the social care sector averaged 5.9 sickness days annually per employee in 2022/23, aligning closely with the wider UK economy. This similarity suggests that the working conditions in terms of health impacts are not significantly different from other sectors.

Implications for Stakeholders

1. Enhanced Job Quality: Improving job quality across all roles, not just senior positions, could be key to reducing turnover rates.

2. International Recruitment: Continued focus on international recruitment can help mitigate staff shortages, but must be balanced with strategies to retain and train local workforce.

3. Targeted Interventions for Nurses: Specific strategies are needed to address the high turnover rates among registered nurses in the sector.

4. Sector-Specific Strategies: Different strategies may be required for residential and non-residential services, given their distinct recruitment and retention challenges.

5. Competitive Positioning: The sector needs to be made more competitive to attract and retain staff, especially in the context of the wider UK job market.

Conclusion

The recruitment and retention landscape in England's adult social care sector is complex, with nuanced challenges across different roles and settings. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for developing effective workforce strategies. The data from Skills for Care provides valuable insights that can guide stakeholders in making informed decisions to strengthen the sector's workforce.