jobfacts

Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors

SOC 2020 1232

Managers and proprietors in this group plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the resources necessary in the provision and running of residential and day care establishments and domiciliary care services for persons who require support or specialised care and/or supervision.

Also calledCare home managerManagerRest home ownerDay centre managerOwnerOfficer-in-chargeand 44 more titles
Typical full-time pay£42,7002025 Provisional
People in the job71,000across the UK
Demand for workersCritical
New adverts a month3,800↑ 3%on last year · 42nd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors earn between £34,300 and £53,300 a year.

What full-time residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors earn, 2025
£42,700 typical£29,600lowest 10%£34,30025%£55,900top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£34,300–£53,300)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£29,600
Lowest 20% earn less than£32,600
25%£34,300
Median£42,700
75%£53,300
Top 20% earn more than£55,900
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £42,700
East Midlands!£49,600
South East!£45,300
West Midlands!£44,700
Wales!£44,100
East of England!£40,900
North West!£39,700
South West!£38,200
London!£34,400
North EastNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £42,700
East Midlands£49,600 (small sample)
South East£45,300 (small sample)
West Midlands£44,700 (small sample)
Wales£44,100 (small sample)
East of England£40,900 (small sample)
North West£39,700 (small sample)
South West£38,200 (small sample)
London£34,400 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 2 years
  • 2024 £40,200
  • 2025 Provisional£42,700
↑ 6.2% since 2024Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 3,800 jobs for residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as critical.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026Not published
Jul 20265,776
Jun 20263,435
May 20263,139
Apr 20263,320
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20263,210
Jan 20264,039
Dec 20251,995
Nov 20254,110
Oct 20255,208
Sept 20254,176
Aug 20254,363
Jul 20254,105
Jun 20254,115
May 20254,243
Apr 20253,604
Mar 20254,134
Feb 20254,062
Jan 20253,894
Dec 20242,169
Nov 20243,490
Oct 20243,987
Sept 20243,619
Aug 20243,809
Jul 20244,004
Jun 20243,995
May 20244,595
Apr 20244,167
Mar 20243,135
Feb 20242,842
Jan 20243,633
Dec 20232,555
Nov 20232,828
Oct 20232,506
Sept 20232,441
Aug 20232,667
Jul 20232,758
Jun 20233,958
May 20233,721
Apr 20233,449
Mar 20233,993
Feb 20233,672
Jan 20234,279
Dec 20223,581
Nov 20224,339
Oct 20224,161
Sept 20223,951
Aug 20224,184
Jul 20224,371
Jun 20224,205
May 20224,454
Apr 20223,958
Mar 20224,609
Feb 20224,179
Jan 20224,599
Dec 20213,814
Nov 20214,353
Oct 20214,638
Sept 20214,198
Aug 20214,186
Jul 20214,948
Jun 20214,354
May 20214,069
Apr 20213,895
Mar 20215,485
Feb 20214,193
Jan 20214,506
Dec 20203,656
Nov 20203,588
Oct 20204,795
Sept 20203,905
Aug 20203,950
Jul 20203,871
Jun 20203,869
May 20203,485
Apr 20204,383
Mar 20204,241
Feb 20204,475
Jan 20204,323
Dec 20193,011
Nov 20194,056
Oct 20194,232
Sept 20193,429
Aug 20193,971
Jul 20193,958
Jun 20194,889
May 20194,419
Apr 20193,258
Mar 20194,086
Feb 20193,711
Jan 20194,507
Dec 20182,909
Nov 20183,628
Oct 20183,758
Sept 20183,985
Aug 20183,569
Jul 20183,496
Jun 20184,064
May 20183,735
Apr 20183,754
Mar 20184,252
Feb 20183,604
Jan 20185,100
Dec 20173,113
Nov 20174,149
Oct 20173,523
Sept 20173,405
Aug 20173,612
Jul 20173,321
Jun 20174,664
May 20174,746
Apr 20174,196
Mar 20174,426
Feb 20173,840
Jan 20174,765
Is there a shortage of residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors?
Critical

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was elevated.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsWell above usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
24%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for other managers and proprietors, which includes residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London1,307
Birmingham257
Manchester195
Nottingham128
Leicester114
Liverpool114
Leeds113
North Yorkshire104
Somerset101
Buckinghamshire96
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
9.2%!
31%!
33%
24%!
3.7%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
25–349.2% (small sample)
35–4431% (small sample)
45–5433%
55–6424% (small sample)
65+3.7% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent45%
Higher education below degree19%
A levels or equivalent26%
GCSEs or equivalent!6.7%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent45%
Higher education below degree19%
A levels or equivalent26%
GCSEs or equivalent6.7% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: residential care activities for learning disabilities, mental health and substance abuse (20%), residential care activities for the elderly and disabled (16%), residential nursing care activities (12%), other social work activities without accommodation nec (10%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
45%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
1
from level 5
Apprenticeships take
18 months
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

University

You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in health and social care management.

With your degree you can apply for graduate schemes.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

Apprenticeship

You may be able to do a higher apprenticeship in adult care or children, young people and families manager.

You could then find work and train more on the job.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Work your way up

If you work in social care, you can apply to join a manager course.

We recommend you start the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children and Young People's Services within 3 months of starting your job. You'll need to complete it within 2 to 3 years.

You'll choose a pathway relating to either adults or children and young people.

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks

Registration and professional bodies

Further information

You can get more advice about working as a care home manager from Think Care Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for care home manager. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

1 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Other qualifications

QualificationTypeLevel
BIIAB Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult CareHigher technical5
Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) in Adult Care Leadership and Management level 5Higher technical5
FDSc Leader in Adult CareHigher technical5
Foundation Degree (FdSc) Leadership Principles in Health & Social CareHigher technical5
Foundation Degree in Adult Health and Social CareHigher technical5

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • determines staffing, financial, material and other short- and long-term requirements
  • plans work schedules, assigns tasks and delegates responsibilities to staff
  • arranges for payment of bills, keeps accounts and adheres to health, safety and other statutory requirements
  • maintains contact between service users and the local community and/or family and friends
  • assesses service users’ needs and ensures they have access to health and social care services as required
  • creates a friendly, secure atmosphere to gain the trust and confidence of those using the service
  • ensures that the physical comfort and all material needs of service users are provided and attempts to resolve problems that may arise

Skills

  • address problems critically
  • adhere to organisational guidelines
  • advocate for others
  • advocate for social service users
  • analyse community needs
  • apply decision making within social work
  • apply holistic approach within social services
  • apply quality standards in social services
  • apply socially just working principles
  • build business relationships
  • build helping relationship with social service users
  • carry out social work research
  • communicate professionally with colleagues in other fields
  • communicate with social service users

Knowledge

  • budgetary principles
  • business management principles
  • company policies
  • customer service
  • financial management
  • legal requirements in the social sector

Suits people who like

  • Leading and persuading
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for other managers and proprietors, a group of 22 jobs that includes residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 43%about 494,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.