How Hard Is It Out There? Health & Social Care Recruitment in 2025
Roundtable #2 = 11th September 4pm
Recruitment in health and social care has always been demanding — but is this the hardest it’s ever been?
Over the past two years, a perfect storm has been gathering. Policy changes, economic pressure, and workforce shifts have made recruiting and retaining staff across the NHS, the HSE and social care systems tougher than ever.
At our next roundtable, we’ll be bringing together recruitment leaders, TA professionals, and agency experts for a candid conversation about the state of play in 2025.
To take part in the roundtable about this topic, email me - matt@nurses.co.uk - and I’ll add you to the invitation list.
Ahead of the roundtable, here’s a snapshot of what’s happening and why this moment feels so seismic.
Three Core Pressures Facing Health & Social Care Recruitment
🔹 1. Cost & Compliance Pressures Are Tightening the Screws
Recruitment budgets are under severe pressure.
- The National Minimum Wage increase has raised salary floors for thousands of frontline roles. See tables below to find out more. (Click here for the Gov information)
- Employer National Insurance contributions have risen — an extra burden on already stretched providers. See table below to find out more. (Click here for the Gov information)
- The NHS now faces tighter rules on agency staffing, limiting flexibility even as permanent hiring slows. Find out more and read the REC’s response in July to the Gov’s failure to work with the sector
- Recruitment team sizes are shrinking: the average recruiter headcount is dropping meaning smaller teams with more to do. Find out more
Not to mention a challenging economy — with Trump’s tariffs, inflation, and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty — all adding to nervousness and caution around budgets.
🔹 2. Shrinking Talent Pools, Slower Hires, More Cost
The healthcare candidate market is still shrinking just as hiring becomes harder and more expensive.
- Data shows nursing applicants fell by 16% in 2023 across the UK and down again in 2024. Find out more and find out more here too.
- Time to hire has increased — the UK average rose to 44 days in 2024. Find out more
- Hiring is more expensive: post-Covid, cost per hire in the UK ranges from £1,500 to £7,000, depending on source and sector Find out more
Even newly qualified nurses are struggling to find posts — in a paradox where vacancies persist, but so do barriers to entry. Find out more
🔹 3. Overseas Hiring Is Drying Up — But Still Critical
The UK and Ireland’s care and healthcare systems rely heavily on internationally trained staff — and that pipeline is narrowing fast.
- In 2023, around 19% of NHS staff in England were non-British, with 8.6% from Asia and 5.2% from the EU (Commons Library). Find out more
- “From the 20,961 physicians that were practicing in Ireland in 2024, 41.3% have had obtained their first medical qualification outside of Ireland” Find out more
- But UK immigration policy changes introduced in July 2025 are restricting routes and driving costs up (Guardian). Find out more
For providers that depend on overseas talent to staff wards and care homes, this represents a serious challenge. Find out more
What We’ll Be Exploring at the Roundtable
We’re inviting a small group of recruitment and workforce leaders to share what they’re seeing, what decisions they’re facing, and what signs of hope (if any) they’re seeing.
We'll be focusing on:
- Cost & Compliance How are wage pressures, NI increases, and agency staffing restrictions impacting your hiring strategy?
- Talent Pools & Hiring Realities Are you seeing fewer candidates? Has time-to-hire slowed down? What’s changed post-Covid?
- International Talent & Future Planning How are immigration changes affecting your pipeline? Are you adapting?
This won’t be a presentation — it’s an open, off-the-record conversation about the real-world challenges and responses happening now in recruitment. It is not recorded. Bring your voice and be open to talking.
Ask me to invite you to the roundtable on 11th Sept to chat about this - matt@nurses.co.uk
Key Statistics at a Glance
Overview of the National Minimum Wage changes from April 1, 2024
Overview of the National Minimum Wage changes from April 1, 2025
Overview of Employer NICs increases April 6, 2025
What does this mean?
a. For an employer with 30 staff on £36K salary, the increase in annual staffing costs = £28,000
b. For an employer with 5,000 staff at this rate, the increase in annual staffing costs = £4,695,000
Member discussion