National care service at risk over plumetting social care staff numbers
Unison’s analysis of the latest industry employment figures has found the number of new international recruits hired into care jobs plunged from 105,000 in 2023-24 to 30,000 in 2025-26.
The number of international care workers coming to Britain has plummeted in recent years, with experts warning this puts at risk Andy Burnham’s plans to create a national care service.
The new Prime Minister has made fixing adult social care one of his top priorities, indicating he wants to make it free at the point of use, like the NHS.
However, new data has shown that the government’s recent immigration changes have only deepened the staffing crisis in the sector.
Unison’s analysis of the latest industry employment figures has found the number of new international recruits hired into care jobs plunged from 105,000 in 2023-24 to 30,000 in 2025-26.
This comes after the government stopped family members accompanying international social care workers, while Labour plans to increase the number of years before settlement to 15.
Over that same period, the number of social care jobs filled by British workers has dropped by 70,000.
The union says this shows that the government is wrong to claim that slowing the flow of staff from overseas will increase domestic uptake.
Unison has written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood highlighting the situation and urging her to drop plans that would make it harder for migrant care staff to settle in the UK for good.
General secretary Andrea Egan said: “If the government’s serious about fixing social care, it should immediately scrap these cruel plans that will make it harder to recruit staff.
“Terrible pay and working conditions are creating shortages in the social care sector. These figures make that crystal clear. A massive drop in overseas workers has not led to rising domestic recruitment or higher wages.
“Attempts to force existing staff out of the country are wrong by every measure. If the government doesn’t drop these plans, the prime minister’s hope of transforming the lives of millions through a national care service will never happen.”
Mike Padgham, chair of North Yorkshire’s Independent Care Group, who runs Saint Cecilia’s Care Home, in Scarborough, said that improving the status of social care workers was essential.
“If we improve the pay of staff that will help, but it won’t attract all the people who are leaving the sector,” he said.
“We need almost half a million more care staff by 2040, but everything is going in the wrong direction.
“We need to release more staff from overseas, we need to give those who are already here leave to remain in five years and allow the sponsorship to be unrestricted.”
Speaking from Wakefield, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told The Yorkshire Post: “The question we have to ask ourselves is how can we make sure we are training our own workers and maximising opportunity for people in the UK to do these jobs.
“I am really grateful to anyone who comes from overseas and does a good job here, but I think the country has wanted to see lower net legal migration.
“We’ve always got to ask ourselves, instead of always reaching for overseas labour, is there more we can do to train and employ our own people here in the UK.”
A government spokesperson added: “The Prime Minister has set out his plan to start to mend our broken social care system based on a better deal with its workforce – with better progression, pay, training and job security at its heart.
“A consultation on elements of our earned settlement reforms has now closed, and we will set out our response in due course.”