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Number of jobs in adult social care filled by British nationals dropped since the pandemic
Hands of an elderly woman

THE number of jobs in adult social care in England filled by British nationals has dropped by 85,000 since the pandemic, a new report warns.

According to Skills for Care, the workforce planning body for the sector, the number of posts filled by people with British nationality has dropped by 7 per cent since 2020–2021, including a fall of 30,000 in the most recent year alone.

The government has pledged to “end the reliance on overseas recruitment,” but the report warns there must be a focus on “how we attract and keep more people domestically.”

New rules introduced last week have closed new visa applications for care workers, and from April, providers must prove they have tried to recruit domestically before hiring from overseas.

Skills for Care said the new rules would make it harder for the sector to grow in line with demand, estimating that an additional 470,000 workers would be needed by 2040.

Skills for Care head Oonagh Smyth called for stable recruitment, better working conditions and long-term investment.

The government was contacted for comment.

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