As demand for care workers increases and supply decreases, it becomes crucial to know more about the body of paid workers that currently makes up this sector. The detailed Labour Force Survey statistics on gender, ethnicity, age, living and working arrangements and pay analysed within this study identify the workforce and the issues within the workforce that affect the recruitment and retention of care workers. The findings provide clear messages for policymakers, managers, trainers and practitioners. Two broad groups of care occupations - social care and childcare workers - constitute a substantial workforce: over a million workers in England alone, providing care in both the public and the private sector and for all ages, from babies to elderly people. These groups are compared with education and nursing workers, as well as with all women workers. The comparisons are used to explore the increasing competition between different job roles for the same staff and to recommend that policy makers look at cutting across today's boundaries and take a joined-up approach when considering the recruitment and retention of the care workforce.