Monthly tracking

The following pages present monthly trends using data from the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS). These monthly trends give an indication of change since our latest estimates of the adult social care workforce. We will continue to add and update these pages as we gather more data and intelligence.

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Update regarding March 2023 release

Please note we have changed our method of tracking starters and leavers. This update replaces all previously published information on these two workforce measures. This updated method for starters and leavers is in line with how vacancies are measured in the monthly tracking.

The previous method for measuring starters and leavers used independent samples each month to gauge the rates at each period and calculate the trend. As each monthly sample was independent of all previous periods, the risk of this methodology was that the trend could be adversely affected by outliers in a particular month. For example, a large organisation with a high turnover rate completing ASC-WDS in a particular month does not necessarily mean turnover rates are increasing in the sector.    

The new method compares samples which are like for like, by measuring the starter and leaver rates at the same employers from the start of the year to each monthly period. This method also makes adjustments so large employers are not overrepresented in the sample.

All monthly tracking, measured from unweighted data in ASC-WDS, is taken from employers making updates throughout the year. These figures should be used to give an indication of changes within the year but have not been weighted to represent the whole sector and do not account for newly opened or closed locations. The figures may also be revised as more data becomes available throughout the year.

Figures which are published in Skills for Care’s annual reports (The size and structure and The state of the adult social care workforce) have been weighted to represent the whole adult social care workforce and therefore may differ from this monthly tracking as they account for the whole sector.