Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Active Recruitment Statistics & Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Quaterly Workforce Statistics 30 June 2025

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 30th June 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 June 2025, the HSC workforce stood at 66,939 whole-time equivalent (WTE). This represented an increase of 1.7% (1,130 WTE) from 30 June 2024, and an 8.0% increase (4,945 WTE) since 30 June 2020.
• One third (33.3%) of the HSCNI workforce at 30 June 2025 was in the Nursing & Midwifery occupational family (22,304 WTE).  This group comprised 18,063 WTE Registered Nursing & Midwifery staff, an increase of 2.1% (369 WTE) from 30 June 2024, and 4,241 WTE Nursing & Midwifery Support staff, a decrease of 3.0% (132 WTE) from one year ago.
• The Belfast HSC Trust had the largest workforce, with 19,130 WTE at 30 June 2025.  This level is 1.1% higher than at 30 June 2024, and 0.6% higher than at 30 June 2020. All regional HSC Trusts reported an increase in WTE staff since 30 June 2020.
• At 30 June 2025, there were 6,095 vacancies actively being recruited across HSC in Northern Ireland.  This equated to an active recruitment vacancy rate of 7.1%.
• The total number of vacancies under active recruitment at 30 June 2025 (6,095) is 13.0% higher than at 30 June 2024 (5,392) and 16.5% higher than at 30 June 2020 (5,234).
• The highest number of vacancies actively being recruited across HSC was in the Nursing & Midwifery occupational family, with 1,894.  This staff group made up 31.1% 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 (1,778 vacancies). The annual percentage change in vacancies was greatest in the Belfast HSC Trust with an increase of 22.2%, followed by Western (17.2%), Southern (16.1%) and Northern (15.3%) HSC Trusts.  The South Eastern HSC Trust reported a decrease of 8.0%.