A new salary calculator has been launched to show workers across the UK how they could earn a higher salary by switching their supermarket job for a career in care. 

The salary calculator, designed by homecare provider Right at Home UK, was developed to counter perceptions that working in social care is poorly paid, with entry-level carers who work 35 hours per week benefiting from an average potential monthly salary of up to £1,748.43, rising to a potential £3,264 for a live-in carer role.

This is £2,028.62 higher than the average wage for retail workers, who take home an average of £1,235.38 for the same number of hours worked.

The move comes as social care providers across the UK face an unprecedented recruitment challenge, with public perception of care as a low-paid, low-skilled job singled out as a key issue. The UK Government recently announced a £500 million workforce investment, funded by the new Health and Social Care levy, designed to address the crisis.

“The hope is that the new salary calculator will help attract more people across the country to consider taking up a well-paid and hugely rewarding career in homecare,” said Right at Home chief executive officer Lucy Campbell.

“It’s incredibly important that we help the whole care sector tackle the misconceptions about working in social care. The idea that a career in homecare is poorly paid is a relic of the past. All homecare providers pay at least the Living Wage, with the majority paying more – as demonstrated by the calculator. The fact is that an entry-level job in homecare pays more than an entry-level job in a supermarket, while also offering ongoing training that will help carers secure qualifications and progress up the ranks to managerial positions. There is also unrivalled job security. 

“It’s high time the public start seeing social care workers for what they are – highly trained and highly skilled professionals who carry out essential work that keeps our most vulnerable members of the community safe, healthy and independent.”