Majority of young people would switch jobs to work in social care, poll reveals

Young people, aged 18-34, are the most likely to apply for a care job (64 per cent) and over half of people this age are open to switching jobs to start a career in adult social care.

According to a poll of over 2,000 people, commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), most people aged 18-24 (57 per cent) and 25-34 (56 per cent) would consider changing their career for a job that helps or supports others.

The survey of 2,020 people was commissioned by the DHSC, as part of phase two of the care minister’s ‘Every Day is Different’ recruitment campaign, which aims to attract people to the care sector.

#Everydayisdifferent campaign targets 20-39 year-olds

Phase two of the ‘When you care, every day makes a difference’ campaign, launched on 16 October, looks to address the issue that an extra 580,000 adult social care workers will be needed by 2035.

Phase two runs from this Autumn until April 2020 and targets 20-39 year olds, to ‘capitalise on interest’ from young people.

Care minister Caroline Dinenage said: “A career in adult social care offers the rewarding opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in society– a sentiment 96 per cent of current care workers on the ground agree with.

“We have over a million brilliant people working in the sector, but we urgently need new talent to ensure we can continue to provide support for those who need it.”

The staff turnover rate in the care sector is 30.8 per cent - equating to nearly 440,000 people leaving care jobs every year.

Interest from young people as highlighted by the new poll's results, is positive particularly because currently the average age of workers in the care sector is 45 years old. About 385,000 jobs are filled by 55-year-olds who are likely to retire in the next ten years.

The first phase of the care minister’s campaign was launched last February. The campaign aims to attract people with ‘the right values’ to the sector and get more people considering adult social care as a vocation. The campaign also looks to highlight the potential for career progression in care and opportunities to gain new qualifications.

More than a quarter (26 per cent) care bosses surveyed after phase one of the campaign saw a rise in either job enquiries, applications, interviews or vacancies filled.

Only 19% of workforce under 30

Caroline Dinenage added: “I hope our ‘When you care, every day makes a difference’ campaign will draw more people with the right values to forge fulfilling careers and help them realise how diverse, worthwhile and often flexible jobs in social care can be.

"I urge anyone considering a career in care to apply today.”

Skills for Care interim chief executive, Andy Tilden, said: “With only 19 per cent of our workforce currently aged under 30 this campaign is very timely, especially as we know we need to fill around 122,000 job vacancies across our sector on any given day.

“I’m really encouraged by this survey that shows young people would seriously consider a career in adult social care that we know offers huge personal and professional rewards."

The government's poll also revealed 65 per cent of parents with dependent children would consider a role in adult social care. Julie Ogley, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) said: “People of any age can work in social care and make a real difference to the lives of so many who need it.

“There are careers to be had in social care – our own members, all of whom are directors, and their direct line reports, are a prime example of this.”

For more details about the #everydayisdifferent campaign visit: www.everydayisdifferent.com and the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/everydayisdifferent

If you are looking for a job in homecare you can click here