Pay is now the top motivator for social workers to change jobs, Community Care’s annual jobseeker survey has found.
Improving salary has overtaken achieving a better work-life balance as the biggest temptation for practitioners to move roles, found the research.
While pay was also the most compelling reason to move for respondents to our 2021 survey, a bigger proportion (55%) selected it in 2023 than in previous rounds of the research.
The jobseeker survey is the only annual piece of research into social worker job seeking behaviour. This year’s survey was carried out from July to September and garnered the views of 2,817 people. Three-quarters of respondents worked for councils, with 89% being qualified social workers.
Pay rises lagging behind inflation
The findings on pay come on the back of two years in which local government salary increases across the UK have lagged behind high rates of inflation.
At the same time, councils in England have found it increasingly difficult to retain staff in children’s and adults’ services, with rising turnover and vacancy rates.
Reflecting that, our research revealed that a falling proportion of practitioners – 20% in 2022 and 2023, down from 25% in 2021 – said they were highly unlikely to move jobs.
The increase in vacancy rates means more social worker job roles are being advertised now than before the pandemic, according to data from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).
However, despite the high demand for experienced social workers in particular, the number of UK social worker job adverts fell for the fourth consecutive month in September, showed the REC data.
Source: Recruitment and Employment Confederation
Meanwhile, councils in England’s children’s services have dealt with increased vacancies by making greater use of agency social workers, prompting concerns about the impact on relationship-based practice and authorities’ budgets.
Plans to restrict locum work
In response, the Department for Education plans to introduce rules next year limiting the use of locums in children’s services, though in a diluted form compared with its original proposals.
The full report of our jobseekers research includes data on social workers’ current and preferred working patterns – permanent or locum, full-time or part-time – and their rationale for these.
It also covers what is most important to them in deciding whether to apply for a role, the benefits they most value and their advice for employers in building a good working culture.
Find out more
The full report has been made available to Community Care Jobs partners, with whom we work to solve their recruitment and retention challenges.
If you are interested in finding out more about the research findings, please email commcarerecruitment@markallengroup.com or contact our head of partnerships, Peter Clarke, on 020 3915 9434.
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I moved form a SW (qualified in 2013) up a grade every 1 to 2 years.
I’m a Head of Service now and looking for an AD role. I couldn’t look after my family: 3 kids and husband (who works part time due to a disability) without the higher pay which managment receives. I feel awful admitting this but its the only way I can provide for my family. I do a lot for charity and give back what I can afford every month as a Muslim, I love my job and I’m passionate about my profession, but my family must come first. I’ve called for better pay for social care, but until we have a labour government, the cuts will continue whilst the pockets of the super rich grow.
I’m paid 75k a year as a HOS…4 years ago I was an assistant team manager earning about 44k and 2 years before that a SW on 37k.
Hi Farah,
This is impressive. Would you be nice enough to let me know these certifications that helped you scale to an HOS?
Warm regards
Salaam’ Farah
I agree with everything you say. I’m an agency senior social worker, single parent and frustrated. Caseloads are unmanageable, pay is terrible and expectations unrealistic. Local authorities are working workers to death and seem to only care about timescales.
I’ve over 100 hours that they refuse to pay yet due to service needs you can’t take toil. Well they don’t pay toil. My time is not free and those hundred hours I will never get back to spend with my own family. I was told working for free is part of the role.
If it would benefit me I’d go perm but I won’t I’d be far worse off. I’m seeking a role where my work life balance is seen as a priority. Despite my passion, my children come first.
Little wonder local authorities have issues retaining workers. My story sadly is the tip of the iceberg.
I’m an ardent advocate for equality and diversity in what’s supposedly a caring profession. Maybe start with treating workers with a little more gratitude and respect.
Don’t think I’ll last much longer if things do not change ?
I think it’s because we have all learnt, the grass is rarely greener. Work life balance is almost impossible in Child Protection. So we may as well benefit financially from the challenges of this career.
Lou I think you have hit the nail on the head. Some how wanting fair financial remuneration for the job is seen as being greedy and against social work principles in the social work profession. There are limited benefit to the job so why shouldn’t we be paid what we are worth, for the hours that we put in and the flexibility that we give the job. Workers good will only lasts so long.
I always think salaries and hourly rates as a social worker are above average than what people get paid in England? I’m happy with what I get paid in the years I’ve been a social worker. I’m unsure what I’m qualified /experienced to do that isn’t social work which pays more?!
As a retired social worker who was on top of grade, I also had a husband who was unable to work due to a recurring disability but was ineligible for any benefits . He was retired on health grounds from his job in his late 50s with a medical recommendation that he did part time work only when well but was refused any benefits. He was allowed to take his company pension early which was less than a quarter of his salary. We had a mortgage but fortunately our children had graduated from university. I felt that my salary at the time was good (around £35 k) compared with non social work friends. However I did an additional 6 years post retirement age to boost up my pension.. Now if I was working- could be earning around £45k which I feel is reasonable but there again I do not now have a mortgage or dependent children.