Recruitment Analysis – Northern Ireland

The four health and social services boards employed about 48,432
staff of whom just over a tenth were in social services
(4,500).

In social services just under half of staff were under the age
of 40 and about four-fifths were women.

There were 1,648 qualified social workers and 315 unqualified
(wte).

Nearly 30 per cent of qualified social workers were part time,
which fell to under a tenth of unqualified social workers.

There was also a big gender difference in hours between men,
with 7 per cent part time, and female staff where the percentage
working part-time rose to 29 per cent.

Vacancies averaged at 3.2 per cent but rose to just fewer than 8
per cent in South and East Belfast Health and Social Services
Trust.