Social work and welfare: characteristics of the workforce

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2008/09 provides the most recent (official) labour market information for the sector. The survey points out that at the time that the information was collected, 1.5 million people worked in the social care sector. This figure represents a slight decline in recruitment rates over the last couple of years, coupled with the fact that demand for some workers (experienced social workers, specialists) continued to exceed supply in some parts of the UK.

Nonetheless collected LFS data indicates that between 2002 and 2008 the workforce grew by around 2.4% per annum. This is a strong indicator of the increasing demand for social care and the welfare workforce. LFS 2008/09 shows that the workforce in this sector is overwhelmingly dominated by women (80%), however there are strong indicators that the number of men is increasing. The survey also found that only 10% of the workforce considers themselves to be from a minority ethnic background. This is very under-representative of the community the sector serves.

In terms of employers, the LFS indicates that there exist a huge range of social service providers, and that almost half of the workforce is employed by private/commercial organisations. Indeed there are more than 40,000 employers in the sector, many of whom are SMEs (small to medium-sized businesses).