Northern Ireland's health and social care workforce reached 68,341 whole-time equivalent staff at the end of March, an annual increase of 1,476, according to the latest official figures.
The 2.2% rise continued the longer-term expansion of the publicly employed workforce. The total is about one fifth higher than the 56,802 whole-time equivalent staff recorded when the current workforce strategy began in 2018.
A total of 76,855 people occupied 77,705 active posts at 31 March. The whole-time equivalent measure adjusts part-time hours to show the staffing capacity represented by those posts rather than simply counting employees.
Nursing and midwifery remained the largest occupational group, accounting for 22,776 whole-time equivalent staff, or one third of the workforce. The number joining the service during 2025-26 exceeded the number leaving.
The same statistical release recorded 6,236 vacancies in active recruitment, equivalent to a vacancy rate of 7.2%. The vacancy total was 6.6% higher than a year earlier and 8.3% above the comparable figure from March 2021.
Nursing and midwifery represented the largest share, with 1,960 vacancies. Nursing and midwifery support staff had the highest vacancy rate among the detailed groups at 13.4%, covering 742 posts.
The figures describe jobs already with recruitment teams, including posts moving through pre-employment checks until a start date is agreed. They are therefore not a count of every unfilled or potentially required role in the service.
The data show a service employing more staff while continuing to carry substantial recruitment pressure. Future quarterly releases will indicate whether workforce growth begins to reduce the vacancy rate as well as increasing the overall headcount.