Ellie Ames 29 August 2023

‘Cinderella’ care sector staff facing poverty

‘Cinderella’ care sector staff facing poverty  image
Image: Dmytro Zinkevych / Shutterstock.com.

Most care workers are earning less than the real Living Wage and left ‘struggling to survive’, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has warned today.

New research by the union body found that more than three fifths of social care workers, senior care workers and childcare assistants and practitioners earned less than £10.90 an hour, the real Living Wage in the UK outside London.

The TUC has branded this ‘poverty pay’, with its general secretary Paul Nowak adding: ‘Childcare and social care must stop being Cinderella sectors. Demand for care is rising. Caring is skilled work, and the overwhelmingly female workforce deserves decent pay and conditions.’

Research by the union body in November last year also found that more than one in four children with social care worker parents were growing up in poverty.

The TUC said ‘endemic’ low pay and insecure work were causing a staffing crisis in the childcare and social care sectors.

Every English region is struggling to recruit childcare workers, according to research using Coram data.

Nearly all (95%) of English councils who responded to a survey told Coram that childcare providers in their area were having difficulty recruiting childcare workers with relevant skills and experience.

Childcare recruitment was found to be particularly difficult in the east of England, the west midlands and the north east, where 100% of councils said childcare providers found it ‘very difficult’ to recruit sufficient staff.

The latest figures also found there were 152,000 vacancies in the social care sector.

To address the issues, the TUC has called for a new care workforce strategy, including a £15 an hour minimum wage, an end to zero-hours contracts, ‘decent’ sick pay and new sector partnership arrangements to up-skill care workers.

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Adult Social Worker Mental Health

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth
£38,976 - £52,767
Mental Health Social Worker
Recuriter: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth

Director of Finance (Deputy Section 151 Officer)

Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Council
up to salary max £121,445 per annum
We are now seeking a Director of Finance and Deputy Section 151 Officer to play a pivotal role Hybrid / Kingston Upon Thames
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Council

Principal Engineer - Adoptions

West Northamptonshire Council
£49,587 - £52,860
We are seeking an experienced and motivated Principal Highways Engineer to join our Highways Development Management team at West Northamptonshire Council. This is a senior role leading on the assessment, negotiation, and delivery of highway works linked t Northampton
Recuriter: West Northamptonshire Council

Head of Highway Operations

Derbyshire County Council
Grade 15 £63,002 - £69,103 per annum
As we begin to implement our new structure, we have an exciting leadership opportunity as the head of our new operations service. Derbyshire
Recuriter: Derbyshire County Council

Trainee Roadworker Driver

Derbyshire County Council
Grade 5 £25,185 - £25,583 per annum
We’re looking for Roadworker/trainee LGV drivers to be part of our team undertaking all aspects of highways maintenance and improvement works Derbyshire
Recuriter: Derbyshire County Council
Linkedin Banner