Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Active Recruitment Statistics & Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Quarterly Workforce Statistics 31 March 2025

Date published: 21 May 2025

These statistical publications present analysis of active recruitment vacancies and active staff in post by staff group and HSC organisation and includes trend information.

The NI HSC Workforce publication covers the majority of HSC hospital, community and social services workforce. Bank/sessional staff are excluded, as are members of staff on career breaks, Chairpersons/Members of Boards and those recorded with less than 0.03 WTE. Domiciliary care staff have also been excluded, as their recorded whole-time equivalent currently does not reflect their contribution to the service.

The NI HSC Active Recruitment Statistics publication covers any position that is currently with the recruitment team and being actively recruited to, including those going through pre-employment checks, up to the point of a start date being agreed.

Key Points

• At 31 March 2025, the HSC workforce stood at 66,865 whole-time equivalent (WTE). This represented an increase of 1.3% (881 WTE) from 31 March 2024, and an 11.3% increase (6,775 WTE) since 31 March 2020.
• One third (33.3%) of the HSCNI workforce at 31 March 2025 was in the Nursing & Midwifery occupational family (22,269 WTE).  This group comprised 18,050 WTE Registered Nursing & Midwifery staff, an increase of 1.7% (304 WTE) from 31 March 2024, and 4,219 WTE Nursing & Midwifery Support staff, a decrease of 4.7% (207 WTE) from one year ago.
• The Belfast HSC Trust had the largest workforce, with 19,039 WTE at 31^st March 2025. This level is 0.04% lower than at 31 March 2024, but 3.6% higher than at 31 March 2020. All regional HSC Trusts reported an increase in WTE staff since 31 March 2020.
• At 31 March 2025, the leaving rate of HSC staff was 7.0% during the prior year.  The joining rate of HSC staff at 31 March 2025 was 8.3%.
• At 31 March 2025, there were 5,851 vacancies actively being recruited across HSC in Northern Ireland.  This equated to an active recruitment vacancy rate of 6.9%.
• The total number of vacancies under active recruitment at 31 March 2025 (5,851) is 8.8% higher than at 31 March 2024 (5,380) but 10.2% lower than at 31 March 2020 (6,516).
• The highest number of vacancies actively being recruited across HSC was in the Nursing & Midwifery occupational family, with 1,801.  This staff group made up 30.8% of all HSC vacancies in recruitment.
• Of the five regional HSC Trusts, the Belfast HSC Trust had the highest number of vacancies actively being recruited (1,569 vacancies). The annual percentage change in vacancies was greatest in the Western HSC Trust with an increase of 22.9%, followed by Northern (11.9%), South Eastern (5.9%), Southern (3.9%), and Belfast (2.1%) HSC Trusts.