The number of ads for early education and childcare practitioners was up 146.2% on pre-pandemic levels in January 2024.

The latest Recruitment and  Employment Confederation (REC) and Lightcast Labour Market Tracker also found ads for education and childcare assistants in January 2024 were up 30.2% on pre-pandemic levels (February 2020). 

Kate Shoesmith, REC deputy chief executive, said: “The past few years have shown that advertising for staff and finding them are two different things. There is little hope of filling such a high level of vacancies any time soon given the serious labour shortages in the UK, a problem which creates a vicious cycle.”

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said the findings were concerning but not surprising. “With less than two months until the start of the early entitlement expansion, it’s clear that it will be virtually impossible for settings to recruit enough staff to meet demand in time for the April roll out,” he said.