One in four social care workers surveyed in Wales considering leaving sector

Nation.Cymru staff

A quarter of social care workers surveyed in Wales are considering leaving the sector, with low pay and heavy workloads among the main reasons.

Researchers at Cardiff University gathered responses from 7,565 people working across social care, including care workers, managers and social workers. The Have Your Say 2026 survey was commissioned by Social Care Wales with support from Care Forum Wales.

Among those considering leaving, 51% cited low pay, 42% said they were overworked and 32% pointed to poor employment and working conditions. Respondents could give more than one reason.

Workload was a particular concern among people in social work roles, with 59% of those considering leaving identifying it as a reason.

Across the survey, around 16% could see themselves staying in the sector for no more than another year. However, 39% intended to remain until retirement and a further 11% expected to stay for at least another decade.

Almost a quarter of respondents said they were finding it difficult to manage financially, while another 34% were just getting by. Some 52% said their financial situation was harder to manage than at the same point last year.

Although 94% reported being paid at or above the Real Living Wage, only around a third were satisfied with their pay.

In written responses, workers called for wages that better reflected their responsibilities, improved sick pay and pensions, and greater parity with NHS staff.

One adult care home worker described the impact of staffing shortages: “There are days when there simply aren’t enough hands on shift. You want to give each person time, dignity, and proper attention, but you’re racing against the clock.”

The report found that 59% of respondents struggled to switch off after work and 60% had worked while unwell.

More than 40% reported experiencing bullying, discrimination or physical violence at work during the previous 12 months. Satisfaction with the outcome of reporting incidents was particularly low for bullying and discrimination.

Dr Katy Huxley, based at Cardiff University’s Social Science Research Park, said: “We’d encourage employers and others to engage with the findings to further support the wellbeing of the workforce.”

Two-thirds of respondents (67%) reported good morale. Many described supportive teams and close relationships with the people they cared for as positive aspects of their work.

Training

Making a difference to people’s lives remained the most common reason for entering the sector. Nearly four in ten respondents wanted a future leadership role, although workers also raised concerns about unclear career paths and difficulties finding time for training.

The researchers cautioned that the findings may not reflect the experiences of the entire workforce. Younger workers were underrepresented, while managers made up a larger share of respondents than of the registered workforce.

Sarah McCarty, chief executive of Social Care Wales, said: “We’ll use the findings of the survey to guide the support and services we offer, as well as influencing the work of partner organisations to make sure the voice of the workforce is heard.”

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.