jobfacts

Senior care worker

Senior care workers — SOC 2020 6136

Senior care workers routinely oversee and monitor care workers, care assistants and home carers. They also attend to the personal needs and comforts of children, the elderly and the infirm and others with care and support needs (‘service users’) within residential care establishments, day care establishments or in their own homes.

Also calledSenior care assistantSenior adult social care support workerLeaderHome leaderHome support team leaderSenior support workerand 36 more titles
Typical full-time pay£29,4002025 Provisional
People in the job112,000across the UK
Demand for workersCritical
New adverts a month3,600↓ 6.2%on last year · 47th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time senior care workers earn between £25,300 and £33,700 a year.

What full-time senior care workers earn, 2025
£29,400 typical£21,700lowest 10%£25,30025%£35,000top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£25,300–£33,700)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£21,700
Lowest 20% earn less than£24,200
25%£25,300
Median£29,400
75%£33,700
Top 20% earn more than£35,000
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £29,400
London!£30,600
South East£30,500
East of England£30,500
South West£29,700
West Midlands£29,200
Scotland!£29,200
North East£29,100
Yorkshire and The Humber£28,800
Wales!£28,400
East Midlands!£28,000
North West!£28,000
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £29,400
London£30,600 (small sample)
South East£30,500
East of England£30,500
South West£29,700
West Midlands£29,200
Scotland£29,200 (small sample)
North East£29,100
Yorkshire and The Humber£28,800
Wales£28,400 (small sample)
East Midlands£28,000 (small sample)
North West£28,000 (small sample)
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £25,500
  • 2024 £27,500
  • 2025 Provisional£29,400
↑ 15% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 3,600 jobs for senior care workers 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 20263,416
Jul 20263,642
Jun 2026Not published
May 20263,518
Apr 20263,547
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20263,301
Jan 20263,978
Dec 20252,062
Nov 20254,268
Oct 20253,887
Sept 20254,089
Aug 20253,970
Jul 20253,858
Jun 20254,432
May 20254,269
Apr 20253,658
Mar 20253,940
Feb 20253,897
Jan 20254,017
Dec 20242,547
Nov 20243,607
Oct 20244,007
Sept 20244,244
Aug 20244,345
Jul 20244,614
Jun 20244,638
May 20244,849
Apr 20244,584
Mar 20243,364
Feb 20243,424
Jan 20244,211
Dec 20233,185
Nov 20234,014
Oct 20233,560
Sept 20233,559
Aug 20233,828
Jul 20233,724
Jun 20235,311
May 20234,560
Apr 20233,997
Mar 20234,963
Feb 20234,745
Jan 20235,775
Dec 20225,188
Nov 20226,400
Oct 20226,298
Sept 20226,193
Aug 20225,885
Jul 20225,945
Jun 20226,364
May 20226,500
Apr 20225,643
Mar 20226,014
Feb 20225,651
Jan 20225,901
Dec 20214,865
Nov 20215,911
Oct 20215,941
Sept 20215,101
Aug 20214,917
Jul 20215,370
Jun 20215,093
May 20214,788
Apr 20214,212
Mar 20215,660
Feb 20213,889
Jan 20214,292
Dec 20203,663
Nov 20204,408
Oct 20205,020
Sept 20204,385
Aug 20204,685
Jul 20203,921
Jun 20204,600
May 20203,930
Apr 20204,942
Mar 20204,938
Feb 20204,997
Jan 20204,745
Dec 20193,483
Nov 20194,404
Oct 20194,683
Sept 20194,026
Aug 20194,360
Jul 20194,627
Jun 20194,808
May 20194,353
Apr 20193,151
Mar 20194,083
Feb 20193,207
Jan 20193,984
Dec 20182,613
Nov 20183,962
Oct 20183,986
Sept 20184,024
Aug 20183,256
Jul 20183,338
Jun 20183,614
May 20183,163
Apr 20182,825
Mar 20183,406
Feb 20182,808
Jan 20183,431
Dec 20172,367
Nov 20173,485
Oct 20173,097
Sept 20173,077
Aug 20173,358
Jul 20173,082
Jun 20174,107
May 20174,023
Apr 20173,569
Mar 20173,854
Feb 20173,159
Jan 20173,543
Is there a shortage of senior care workers?
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 grantedWell above usual
  • Online job advertsWell above usual
  • Wage growthWell above usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
24%against 27% for all jobs
DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London1,340
Birmingham199
Manchester181
Leeds158
Somerset140
Bristol, City of138
North Yorkshire111
Glasgow City102
Liverpool96
Buckinghamshire95
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where senior care workers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 11 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from India, Nepal, Philippines, ranking it 210th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of senior care workers
3.3%!
21%!
28%
23%
19%
6.2%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–243.3% (small sample)
25–3421% (small sample)
35–4428%
45–5423%
55–6419%
65+6.2% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent36%
Higher education below degree7.7%
A levels or equivalent33%
GCSEs or equivalent13%
Other qualifications!5.3%
No qualifications!1.8%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent36%
Higher education below degree7.7%
A levels or equivalent33%
GCSEs or equivalent13%
Other qualifications5.3% (small sample)
No qualifications1.8% (small sample)

Main employers: residential nursing care activities (23%), residential care activities for learning disabilities, mental health and substance abuse (20%), residential care activities for the elderly and disabled (17%), other social work activities without accommodation nec (11%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
36%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
2
from level 3
Apprenticeships take
18 months
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

College

You could do a college course, which may help you when applying for more senior care jobs.

Courses include:

  • health and social care
  • adult care
  • health and social care management
  • T Level in Health
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, such as:

  • Lead Adult Care Worker
  • Senior Healthcare Support Worker

You might also train by doing a Lead Practitioner in Adult Care Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship.

These apprenticeships can take up to 2 years to complete and are a mix of workplace training and classroom study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

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

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start as a care support worker or healthcare assistant and move into a senior role through further training and promotion.

Volunteering

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in health and social care. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

You can also find opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do it.

Apply directly

You can apply directly for senior care jobs if you have skills, experience and a qualification in social care or healthcare.

A caring personality is very important, as is a respectful attitude towards people who need care and support.

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks
  • have a full driving licence

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Time spent caring for someone you know also counts as having experience in a caring role.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in care from:

  • Think Care Careers
  • Department of Health & Social Care

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

Apprenticeships

2 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
Certificate of Higher Education for Health and Social CareHigher technical4
Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) in Adult Care Leadership and Management level 5Higher technical5
Foundation Degree (FdSc) Leadership Principles in Health & Social CareHigher technical5

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • routinely oversees and monitors care workers and home carers
  • takes responsibility for the shift and for the service while on duty
  • responds to emergencies and provides guidance and support to care workers
  • assists and enables service users to dress, undress, wash, use the toilet and bathe
  • serves meals to service users at table or in bed, assists with feeding if required
  • assists with service users’ overall comfort and wellbeing
  • provides interest and activities to stimulate and engage the service user
  • helps with daily activities such as letter writing, paying bills, collecting benefits
  • undertakes light cleaning and domestic duties including meal preparation as required
  • monitors service users’ conditions by taking temperature, pulse, respiration and weight, and contributes to record keeping
  • liaises with professional staff in carrying out care plans etc

Skills

  • accompany people
  • apply first response
  • assist clients with special needs
  • assist disabled passengers
  • assist social service users with physical disabilities
  • buy groceries
  • evaluate older adults' ability to take care of themselves
  • iron textiles
  • keep company
  • make the beds
  • monitor patient's health condition
  • prepare ready-made dishes
  • prepare sandwiches
  • provide in-home support for disabled individuals

Knowledge

  • disability care
  • disability types
  • first response
  • older adults' needs
  • food allergies
  • hearing disability
  • mobility disability

Suits people who like

  • Helping and caring for people
  • Practical, hands-on work

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for caring personal service occupations, a group of 16 jobs that includes senior care workers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 20%about 466,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.9 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.