UK job vacancies per 100: health and social work
UK job vacancies per 100: health and social work stood at 2.6 ratio in Jun 2026, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Labour market table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from May 2001 to Jun 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Labour market table
| Indicator | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | 10-2025 | 09-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vacancies per 100 employee jobs, by industry | |||||||||||
| Q Human health and social work | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.7 | |
| R Arts, entertainment and recreation | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2 | 1.9 |
Understanding UK job vacancies per 100: health and social work
This statistic monitors unfilled positions relative to established staffing levels within human health and social work across the United Kingdom. It accounts for open vacancies in hospitals, medical practices, residential care homes, and social work operations for every hundred employee jobs. Excluded from the count are informal family carers and independent medical practitioners who operate entirely outside formal organisational payrolls. Unlike commercial service sectors, this measure reflects specialised clinical and care demands driven by demographic shifts and public health policies.
Reading this dataset requires recognising that health and social care recruitment operates on continuous operational cycles rather than standard academic or corporate timetables. Early estimates are subject to revision as healthcare providers submit late survey data. Comparing figures against the same period of the previous year is recommended to avoid misleading conclusions drawn from short-term administrative noise. Observers must exercise caution when relating these ratios to broader economic indicators, as healthcare staffing is heavily influenced by statutory funding allocations rather than cyclical business conditions.
Frequently asked questions
- What types of care facilities are included in human health and social work?
- Hospitals, general practices, dental surgeries, residential care homes, and social work support services are all covered.
- Are unpaid family carers counted in this employment series?
- No, unpaid care and informal support work are excluded from the official employee job metrics.
- Why is year-on-year comparison preferred for health sector vacancies?
- Comparing identical periods across years helps filter out administrative noise and highlights genuine structural trends.