Attracting and Retaining Gen Z and Millennial Talent in Care Homes

  • May 28, 2026
  • 2 Minutes
Attracting and Retaining Gen Z and Millennial Talent in Care Homes HR Duo
Attracting and Retaining Gen Z and Millennial Talent in Care Homes
2:40

Care homes in the UK are under immense pressure on their workforce. As of March 2024, 8.3% (around 131,000 jobs) of adult social care roles in England alone were vacant. That's nearly three times the national average of 2.8% across all sectors. According to data from Care England, turnover remains a critical challenge too, with nearly 31% of care workers in non-nursing homes leaving their roles in 2023/24.

Why Does Attracting a New Generation Matter for Care Homes?

The constant churn of staff across the sector increases recruitment costs, affects continuity of care, and places additional pressure on already stretched teams. To make matters worse, the age profile of the existing workforce presents a looming risk:

  • Baby boomers are retiring in large numbers
  • Gen X workers will begin exiting the workforce over the next five years
  • Millennials will soon be in senior roles or leadership positions
  • Gen Z will form the bulk of frontline care staff by 2030.

The workforce gap is widening at the same time international recruitment is falling. Home Office data shows an 81% drop in overseas care worker visas in early 2025 compared to the previous year. With an ageing workforce and fewer overseas hires, care homes must now rely on domestic talent, especially Millennials and Gen Z, who already make up over 45% of the UK workforce (ONS). 

Attracting and retaining this new generation is essential to future-proofing your care home workforce. But Gen Z and Millennials bring different expectations. They’ve grown up with mobile apps, fast feedback, and flexibility. They want:

  • A better work-life balance
  • Clear career progression and personal development
  • Digital tools that make their jobs simpler and more rewarding
  • Managers who value wellbeing and communication

Care homes that rely on paper-based rotas, fragmented HR systems, or clunky onboarding processes risk being left behind. To compete, providers must create a modern employee experience powered by connected, mobile-first technology. This is where platforms like HR Duo come in for healthcare providers.

Built specifically for shift-based, deskless teams in health and social care, HR Duo gives care homes the tools to:
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What the Next Senior Leadership (Millennials) Expect in the Workplace

Millennials (specifically those born 1988–1996) now represent a growing portion of care sector leadership, or are fast approaching those roles. As the generation most likely to lead operations, manage teams, and shape care culture over the next decade, their expectations should not be overlooked.

Millennial leaders are motivated by more than job titles or salaries. According to Deloitte’s 2025 Survey, 77% of UK millennials say work-life balance and wellbeing support are top priorities in choosing where to work or stay. They expect flexibility, autonomy, and the ability to make a positive impact, both for their team and the people in their care.

What this generation wants from the care workplace:

  • Family-friendly policies: With many Millennials now balancing work with parenting, carers’ leave, flexible hours, and clear return-to-work support are essential. The Social Market Foundation found that 41% of social care staff under 40 have considered leaving due to poor flexibility.
  • Modern tools that reduce admin: Paper-heavy workflows and clunky HR processes are deal-breakers. Millennial leaders want systems that allow them to manage rotas, leave approvals, and performance from their phones, without chasing paperwork.
  • Data-driven performance support: This generation values real-time insights and feedback tools to manage staff fairly, identify burnout early, and improve outcomes without micromanagement.
  • Career progression and development: Millennials want clarity around promotion pathways and leadership development. In fact, in the LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report, 69% of millennials in care roles say a lack of learning opportunities and career progression would push them to leave a job.

HR Duo meets these expectations with built-in tools for:

  • Mobile rota access and approval workflows
  • Structured 1:1 and performance tracking
  • Custom leave policies and flexible shift planning
  • Real-time analytics for care managers

For care homes, empowering Millennial leaders with the right digital systems is a retention strategy and a leadership development strategy.

What Your New Frontline Workers (Gen Z) Expect in the Workplace

Gen Z (born 1997–2012) are entering the care workforce in growing numbers. By 2030, they’ll make up the majority of the frontline, from care assistants to key support workers. And they’re bringing a different set of expectations shaped by growing up in a digital, on-demand world.

According to Prospects’ Early Careers Survey, Gen Z values flexibility, mental health support, and purpose-led work more than any generation before them. Their career decisions are shaped by how much autonomy, support, and tech-enabled simplicity they experience from day one.

What Gen Z care workers are looking for:

  • Self-service and self-rostering tools: Gen Z expect to view rotas, swap shifts, and request time off from their phone. Self-rostering is especially attractive. Research by the Institute for Employment Studies shows it can cut absence by 20% and boost engagement in shift-based roles.
  • A clear and caring onboarding experience: Long inductions and manual paperwork won’t engage this group. They want fast, digital onboarding and instant clarity on responsibilities, schedules, and expectations.
  • Transparency, communication, and feedback: Gen Z expects regular feedback, inclusive cultures, and managers who check in, not just check up.
  • Support with wellbeing and work-life boundaries: In a survey by the Health Foundation, over 50% of Gen Z employees in health and care say they’ve experienced burnout, often linked to inconsistent shift patterns or lack of mental health support.

With HR Duo, care homes can deliver:

  • Mobile-first onboarding and training workflows
  • Self-service shift views, time-off requests, and messaging
  • Digital feedback and structured performance reviews
  • Employee assistance resources directly through the platform

To retain Gen Z workers, care homes must move beyond reactive recruitment and invest in proactive experience design, built on the digital habits and wellbeing priorities that define this generation.

Want to see how it works?

Book a free demo  and discover how HR Duo helps care homes recruit, retain, and empower the next generation of carers.