Adult social care employers contribute £38.5bn to the English economy and create 1.5 million job roles, according to a new report.

The report, commissioned by Skills for Care and Development, examines the economic impact of the adult social care sector using three measures of GVA - the direct, indirect and induced.

As well as estimating the GVA created by the sector, the report also found the sector supports 1.5 million job roles.

Skills for Care CEO, Sharon Allen, said: ‘With a growing workforce that is bigger than the NHS we are not surprised at how much our sector contributes to the English economy.

‘This report’s real strength is that it provides evidence about what we have always believed anecdotally about the significant economic contribution made by a sector that provides 6% of total employment in England.’