Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Active Recruitment Statistics & Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Quarterly Workforce Statistics 30 September 2025
Date published:
The Department of Health today released details of NI Health and Social Care (HSC) vacancies actively being recruited and HSC staff in post as at 30 September 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 30 September 2025, the HSC workforce stood at 67,432 whole-time equivalent (WTE). This represented an increase of 2.0% (1,313 WTE) from 30 September 2024, and a 9.6% increase (5,879 WTE) since 30 September 2020.
- Almost one third (32.9%) of the HSCNI workforce at 30 September 2025 was in the Nursing & Midwifery occupational family (22,198 WTE). This group comprised 17,988 WTE Registered Nursing & Midwifery staff, an increase of 2.1% (365 WTE) from 30 September 2024, and 4,210 WTE Nursing & Midwifery Support staff, a decrease of 1.5% (63 WTE) from one year ago.
- The Belfast HSC Trust had the largest workforce, with 19,094 WTE at 30 September 2025. This level is 1.4% higher than at 30 September 2024, and 1.7% higher than at 30 September 2020. All regional HSC Trusts reported an increase in WTE staff since 30 September 2020.
- At 30 September 2025, there were 6,310 vacancies actively being recruited across HSC in Northern Ireland. This equated to an active recruitment vacancy rate of 7.3%.
- The total number of vacancies under active recruitment at 30 September 2025 (6,310) is 17.3% higher than at 30 September 2024 (5,381) and 35.7% higher than at 30 September 2020 (4,651).
- The highest number of vacancies actively being recruited across HSC was in the Nursing & Midwifery occupational family, with 2,098. This staff group made up 33.2% 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 (1,779 vacancies). The annual percentage change in vacancies was greatest in the Northern HSC Trust with an increase of 35.2%, followed by Western (34.6%), Belfast (27.3%) and Southern (0.4%). The South Eastern HSC Trust reported a decrease of 9.4%.
