We need to look at the future of social care. Current vacancy levels are at 152,000 and the number of filled posts has still not returned to 2020/2021 levels. Adult social care has a higher vacancy rate than the NHS and the economy as a whole and we can see continuous movement between roles due to issues with the cost-of-living crisis. With 18.6% of the UK population over 65, demand will only be heading in one direction – up! How can we close this vacancy gap? The clear and obvious solution is to appeal to the next generation.
To give an overview of the sector, the average age of a person working within adult social care is 45 years old, with 25% of the workforce being over 55 years old and only 10% of the workforce under 24 years old. This is not an insignificant statistic, especially when the workforce is 1.6 million and roles within the social care industry make up 13% of the UK’s jobs, only being beaten by retail and wholesale work. Young people are clearly under-represented in social care. With 11.4% of 16-24-year-olds unemployed in May 2023, the highest unemployment rate of any age group by a significant margin. We therefore need to look at the barriers to working for young people, in general, and with specifics to social care.
Breaking barriers
Illness. It may surprise you to hear but one in four unemployed young people are not working due to ill health, which includes mental health. This has risen from one in 10 not working due to ill health in 2012. Illness is especially prominent in small towns and villages, where social care roles are harder to recruit for. Not only do these periods of absence affect the local economy; but it can often become difficult for people to secure employment following a period of absence. Most people who are unemployed due to ill health remain unemployed for over two years. Mental health conditions are the most common reason for young people to not be working. We need to explore how we can help people and what can be put in place to help those who do have ill health get into and stay in roles.
The after-effects of the pandemic. COVID-19 exacerbated mental health conditions that were already apparent. 67% of people under 25 believed that the pandemic would have a long-term negative effect on people’s mental health. As well as this, we are all aware of the impact that COVID-19 had on people’s education, particularly with regards to learning becoming virtual and the typical school and university experience being disrupted. 83% of young people believed that COVID-19 has had a negative impact on their career prospects. This highlights not only the mental health conditions caused by the pandemic, but the anxiety around finding work.
Lack of understanding. Social care is also, in many cases, not seen as a viable career option for young people, despite the vast opportunities and need for more workers. This begins from school, where we can see a gear towards university. For example, in a Prospects survey, 43% said that a degree has a better reputation. With lower wages and a lack of understanding of the social care sector and what is available, young people are not looking to move into this sector. We need to bridge the gap between young people and social care and find a way to rewrite the narrative.
So, what can the Government do, on a country-wide scale, in order the address the issues?
Better funding. Perhaps one of the biggest suggestions is for better funding and a focus on the disparity of wages between front-line social care workers and healthcare assistants in the NHS. A 41 percentage uplift would be required for this disparity to end, a monetary difference of £8,036. There needs to be a workforce plan for social care and for the sector not to be ignored in favour of the NHS. Care England and the National Care Forum are both working hard to influence the Government to this end. Doing this is the start of helping to stabilise and sustain the current system.
Highlight the pathways. Clearly defined career pathways are also important. Focusing on this will allow young people a better understanding of where a career in care can take them and the ways that they can advance. Showing care to be a lifelong career, especially in an era of uncertainty post pandemic and in the midst of an economic crisis, will be incredibly beneficial. Digitalisation alone presents a huge opportunity to bring young people into a social care setting.
Support school outreach. In order to harness young talent locally, school and college outreach are vitally important for providers. There should be a focus on targeting young people to influence and persuade them earlier that social care is a career of choice. This can be linked in with a Gen Z attraction strategy. Young people want to do a job with social value, and what better job does that than working in social care? Outreach should also focus on interacting with the parents. Parents want to support their children in finding work and work experience. Why not introduce parents to social care as a place where their children can receive this? Flexibility in shifts is critical in attracting young people – with most wanting to work full-time in the summer and part-time while studying. The sector is missing out on positive pass-through of thousands of young people who could be working while studying health and social care or other allied health courses.
Support community outreach. Not only should there be a focus on highlighting social care to students and parents, but also to the wider community. For example, we can look at projects such as Care Home Open Week. This year’s Care Home Open Week was record breaking – so many homes got involved. The activities that take place are a great way to have young people join in and understand better what care homes do. Considering how recruitment days can be linked with schemes like this can also be incredibly helpful for attracting young people. The pandemic meant that social care settings had to become closed. Now is the time to throw open the doors!
It is also vital for care providers to explore how they can attract young people, as well as receiving support from the Government.
Learning from the above. While one size does not fit all, using outreach and pathway investigations in whatever ways do work is incredibly important. Use what you know about what Gen Z want from a role – the chance to make a difference, flexibility, to bring their values – and use that to target Gen Z. Young people want to hear from others like them, so do create collateral with them in mind and use existing young workers as ambassadors.
Buddy systems. Providers can explore not only how training is provided but also what support can be offered. As we know that there is a large issue with illness and mental health, looking at the implementation of buddies within workplaces will aid with young people feeling supported.
Understand Gen Z. Care providers need to be prepared for Gen Z to enter their workforce and demonstrate that they are willing to learn from them and understand them. Considering the age of the current social care workforce, the generational difference could cause conflict, so encouraging everyone to learn from each other and for Gen Z to make a positive impact on the places they work, will aid in encouraging and keeping Gen Z within the industry.
Rise to the challenge
If we don’t find a way of engaging with young people to join the social care workforce, then the recruitment and workforce challenges will only get worse. The Government needs to show that it sees social care as as valuable as the NHS. Providers need to show that social care is a valuable industry to be part of. Existing teams and decision-makers also need to flex their ways of working to accommodate and welcome young people. Gen Z are looking for roles that have social value; it’s up to the sector at large to rise to the challenge and make the case to join!