Third of public sector care workers leave job every year

Sector must address retention crisis or will have no one left to look after our most vulnerable

GMB, the union for public sector workers, is demanding immediate action after shock figures showed a third of care workers leave the profession ever year.

The disturbing new figures were published today [17 June 2019] as part of a new study by the Office for National Statistics. 

Care workers had the lowest one year retention rate for public sector occupations in 2016/17, at just 67 per cent. 

This represented a sharp fall from a retention rate of 79 per cent in 2012/13. 

This evening we have been in Parliament to launch Careforce and to sign an historic national recognition agreement with @HC_One.
Find out more about the initiative ↓ ↓https://t.co/U4SCka0aYt pic.twitter.com/evR9cW8yOx

— GMB UNION (@GMB_union) June 20, 2018

Rehana Azam, GMB National secretary said:

“Our care sector is in the midst of a staffing crisis.

“It’s no wonder our carers are leaving in droves when they are underpaid, over worked and driven to despair by the Government’s austerity experiment.

“If the Conservatives continue to devalue the workforce and fail to recognise the need to professionalise them, we will have no one left to look after our most vulnerable.”