Occupation 6135 · Caring, leisure and other service occupations
Care workers and home carers attend to the personal needs and comforts of children, the elderly, the infirm and others with care and support needs (‘service users’) within residential care establishments, day care establishments or in their own homes.
There are no formal academic entry requirements. In most cases workers will be required to register with the appropriate statutory body which involves satisfying the registration criteria. This would normally include holding or working towards the appropriate qualification for the job. Entrants must typically be 18 years old and have experience of working in a care environment. Both Off and on-the-job training is available. A wide range of qualifications including NVQs/SVQs covering various aspects of care are available. Background checks including a DBS check are likely to be required.
Care assistant · Carer · Child care worker · Home care assistant · Home carer · Support worker (nursing home)
| Measure | Hours | Basis | Period | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | None | 2026-03 | 711,900.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | None | 2026-03 | 765,300.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | None | 2026-03 | 867,200.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | None | 2026-03 | 27,200.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | None | 2026-03 | 101,900.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | None | 2026-03 | 894,400.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | None | 2026-03 | 53,400.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.
| Region | Measure | Hours | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | 69,700.00 | 2026-03 |
| East Midlands | 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | 66,800.00 | 2026-03 |
| London | 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | 73,900.00 | 2026-03 |
| North East | 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | 45,600.00 | 2026-03 |
| North West | 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | 112,300.00 | 2026-03 |
| Northern Ireland | 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | 27,200.00 | 2026-03 |
| Scotland | 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | 101,900.00 | 2026-03 |
| South East | 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | 96,600.00 | 2026-03 |
| South West | 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | 76,400.00 | 2026-03 |
| Wales | 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | 53,400.00 | 2026-03 |
| West Midlands | 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | 94,700.00 | 2026-03 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 6135 : Care workers and home carers | None | 75,800.00 | 2026-03 |
ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 12 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.
Ambulance staff (excluding paramedics) · Care escorts · Dental nurses · Houseparents and residential wardens · Nursing auxiliaries and assistants · Senior care workers · Undertakers, mortuary and crematorium assistants