An umbrella body for advice charities has warned of a “workforce crisis” among its members, with almost 90% reporting major recruitment and retention issues.
The staffing pressures come amid “skyrocketing” demand following the cost-of-living crisis and strain on the welfare system, leaving services that are “the first line of support” struggling, AdviceUK said in a report published this week.
“It is the latest in a string of concerns raised by advice services and AdviceUK, their membership body, about the dire pressures facing the sector,” the report said. The umbrella body cautioned that staff shortages “threaten to undermine the free and independent advice sector”.
The new findings come shortly after research by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) revealed that overall charity staff recruitment remains “a worldwide challenge”.
Almost all advice charities reporting staffing shortages
Among the report’s key findings were that demand for free, independent advice in 2024–2025 was 40% higher than the 2018–2022 average, while almost all advice charities (88%) reported major recruitment and retention difficulties.
The average advice service needed three more advisers to meet demand, while losing three staff or volunteers in the past year.
Meanwhile, only one in 10 advice charities reported feeling “extremely confident” that they have the resources to operate beyond the next year.
The report added that the advice workforce crisis was among the top three issues currently affecting the sector, “driven by ongoing funding insecurity, lower salaries, and working conditions across the sector”.
It suggested “clear entry routes, high-quality training, and improved funding” as potential solutions to the crisis.
Liz Bayram, chief executive of AdviceUK, said: “Early advice prevents problems from escalating, saves homes, jobs, and sometimes lives. It also eases pressure on already-stretched public services. That is why a strong, skilled advice workforce is an essential social infrastructure.”
