Skills for Care says that there are around 110,000 vacancies in the sector – 22,000 up on last year. That represents an estimated 8% vacancy rate, compared to 6.6% in 2017.

Nearly one in three people working in the sector changed jobs over the last year. The organisation also highlighted a significant pay gap between local government care workers and those in the private sector, with council staff earning on average £9.80 per hour – compared to an average of £8.12 paid by private firms.