Half of care workers in England earn less than entry level supermarket roles

theguardian.com:

Half of care workers employed in independent care homes would earn more if they took an entry level job in a supermarket, according to new research into a staffing crisis that has left thousands of vulnerable people suffering inadequate care.

In June nearly 400,000 care staff earned less than the minimum wages paid in most of the major supermarket chains, while a third of workers would have received an immediate 6.3% pay increase, plus staff benefits, by moving to the best-paying supermarkets, according to the research by the King’s Fund health thinktank.

There are about 165,000 vacancies in England’s social care workforce and this week the Guardian revealed that inspectors found staff shortages were a key reason for inadequate care at dozens of homes, including people being left in their rooms 24 hours a day, denied showers and left soaking in their own urine. Many operators rely on funding from local authorities which has not increased in line with inflation and so have not been able to increase wages. Staff suffering burnout after the Covid-19 pandemic swept through care homes have also quit to take less stressful, better paid jobs at places such as Amazon, and in hospitality and supermarkets.

MPs taking evidence into the crisis this summer heard of care home managers saying: “I dread hearing Aldi opening up nearby, as I know I will lose staff.”

The government announced a taskforce this month to consider the recruitment of international staff into critical roles, although no final decisions have been made on the scale of any recruitment drive or indeed whether to proceed.

“Pay is a key reason for the social care workforce crisis,” said. “There has been no progress on delivering … a strategy [on pay progression and