Occupation ‘must shake off’ women only perception
The care profession must dramatically change the perception it is a female-only occupation, or risk a catastrophic “care time bomb,” according to a new report.
A joint study by care provider Anchor and the International Longevity Centre-UK has found that women currently comprise 82 per cent of the care workforce. But the report concluded that women workers alone will not be capable of meeting the expected rise in workers needed to cope with Britain’s aging population.
Unless something dramatic is done soon, the report warned, England alone could face a shortfall of 718,000 care workers by 2025. It argued that a staggering 40 per cent of the projected increase in England’s working age population will need to enter the care profession to tackle the predicted staffing time bomb, but currently men feel it’s not a career for them.
The report said: “Men, older workers, the unemployed and the underemployed can all play a big role in filling the supply gap. But to entice these individuals into the care sector, providers need to use more innovative promotional campaigns to address persisting stereotypes and target underrepresented groups.”
The number of people over the age of 85 in England is expected to increase from 1.46 million today to 2.72 million by 2030. Today’s ratio of 0.92 care workers for every one person in care is already stretching the system, but to even maintain this ratio in the years going forward, some 690,000 new workers need to be added to the workforce over the next five years.
The report blamed the continuance of low pay (40 per cent of care workers are paid less than £7 per hour) and a fall in real earnings as reasons men do not want to enter the profession. As recently as 2013, an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs into the pay provided by 183 care providers led it to conclude that the sector was responsible the highest level of non-compliance with minimum wage regulations since 2008.
To attract more men, the report recommended that more must be done to set “clearer paths for career progression including the introduction of more creative initiatives to raise morale and performance”.
It cited the HR policy at restaurant firm Nandos, as an example of where HR can balance lower-pay with being a place people want to work – the employer won a ‘Best Companies to Work’ accolade in 2010.
The report said that despite 60 per cent of workers at the spicy chicken food chain being aged under 25, with many earning not much more than the minimum wage, more than 40 per cent of staff move up the ranks to become managers. It suggested that spending 75 per cent of its HR budget on training and development explains this, and the report urged the care industry to weigh up its performance against this.
“There is undoubtedly a stigma attached to the care sector,” the report said, “with the very word ‘caring’ often perceived to be ‘feminine’ in some way. To improve the ratio of men to women, social care must be portrayed and actively promoted as work that men as well as women can do.”
Jane Ashcroft, chief executive at Anchor, said: “We must address this workforce time bomb. The care sector needs to attract a wider range of staff: young and old, and we need more men to consider care as a potential career – particularly as men are living longer. Our workforce should reflect the diversity of our customers.”
As well as calling for more men to join the profession the report argued older people could play a role. Some 75 per cent of over 50s said they have never considered a career in care, but 47 per cent said they would be persuaded into a career in care if they knew they would be supported by training.
The report said more also needs to be done to ensure care jobs are presented as viable opportunities for men by employment agencies and career advisory services in schools and universities. “Central to achieving this objective will be to challenge the basic assumptions that many people hold about the care sector,” it concluded.