Background
In England, paid work in adult social care (ASC) remains among the most poorly rewarded in the labour market. Unsurprisingly, there is a persistent sector-level labour shortage and problems with high turnover and insecurity. The poor working conditions particularly impact on women, who account for around 80% of workers, and migrant workers, currently over-represented and at risk of exploitation relating to citizenship status. These issues are connected to wider delays and inaction over government reform of ASC. ASC workers face ongoing struggles to influence the quality of their work and bring about improvements. Union membership is low across this workforce, with estimates suggesting union membership among ASC workers is around 18%, falling to 15% for workers employed by private providers. This compares to 21% of workers in the wider labour market, and around 40% of NHS workers. ASC workers’ representation is further hampered by the absence of a recognisable, sector-wide professional body. Stuttering moves to professionalise have failed to counter endemic problems with career progression and low status. In this context, we investigated what paid ASC workers and those representing their interests do to drive positive change. Additionally, we examined barriers to organising and how they may be overcome. This briefing covers these three points and proposes recommendations for successfully engaging care workers in organising.
Publication details and citation
This Research Briefing was written by Dr Duncan U Fisher and Professor Liam Foster as part of the Centre’s work on Care Workforce Change. The paper was designed and typeset by Dan Williamson.
To cite: Fisher, D. U. and Foster, L. (2025). Successfully engaging paid care workers in organising: Challenges, opportunities, and what works. Centre for Care Briefing, CIRCLE, Sheffield: University of Sheffield
ISBN 978-1-8382688-7-9
©The authors and CIRCLE, The University of Sheffield, September 2025