The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is now calling for a comprehensive strategy for the early years workforce in England as new analysis shows rising recruitment challenges

Using Coram Family and Childcare data, the TUC reported that almost every English region is struggling to recruit early years educators.

A further eight in 10 (80%) local authorities described it as “very difficult”. 

TUC analysis highlights that recruitment is most difficult in the East of England, the West Midlands and the North East – where 100% of councils said childcare providers found it “very difficult” to recruit sufficient staff the with the right skills and experience. 

And every single one of the local authorities responding in the East of England, the North East, the North West, the South West, the West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside described recruitment of childcare workers as “difficult”. 

For years the government has been warned that funding is worryingly insufficient and currently does not meet the level required to support providers and staff through the cost-of-living crisis.

The union body says that “both the childcare and social care sectors face a staffing crisis stemming from endemic low pay and insecure work, which hits their predominantly female workforces hard. “

TUC analysis: Pay must improve

Further TUC analysis published by the TUC today reveals: 

• More than three in five (62%) childcare assistants and practitioners earn less than the real Living Wage (£10.90 an hour) 
• Childcare practitioners earn only 56% of the median salary for all employees (£18,400), while childcare assistants earn 58% of the median wage (£19,000). 

This TUC says this leaves many early years, care workers and their families struggle to survive. More than one in four (28%) children with a parent working in social care are growing up below the poverty line. 

Sector response

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “We will all rely on care at some point in our lives, whether that’s childcare for our kids or social care for ourselves or our family members. 

“The care our loved ones get must be of the highest standard. But that’s only possible if jobs in care are decent and paid well enough to attract and keep the right people. 

“Childcare and social care must stop being Cinderella sectors. Demand for care is rising. Caring is skilled work, and the overwhelmingly female workforce deserves decent pay and conditions. 

“Ministers must urgently introduce a £15 an hour minimum wage for childcare and social care workers. 

“They also need to bring in sector collective bargaining and establish new sector partnership arrangements to up skill care workers and stop the race to the bottom on pay and conditions. And ministers should require employers to end the use of zero-hours contracts and pay decent sick pay to all workers.” 

Head of Coram Family and Childcare Megan Jarvie said: “Childcare is a vital part of our infrastructure – it enables parents to work and helps to boost children’s outcomes. 

“But achieving these outcomes is reliant on the skills and commitment of the workforce, so it is really concerning that we are seeing struggles to recruit right across the country. 

“Action is needed to support the workforce to make sure that every child is able to access high quality early education and childcare.” 

Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: 

“For far too long, working in the early years has meant being overworked, underpaid and undervalued. It comes as absolutely no surprise, therefore, that so many settings are finding it so difficult to attract and recruit suitable staff.

“And of course, it’s not just an issue of recruitment. Over recent months and years, we have seen a sharp increase in the number of existing early years professionals opting to leave the sector permanently, taking with them extensive experience and expertise that we simply cannot afford to lose, especially in light of the planned expansion of the early entitlement offers.

“We therefore welcome the TUC’s call for better pay and conditions for the early years workforce, alongside clear career pathways and an emphasis on supporting health, safety and wellbeing. That said, it is important to recognise that those working in the early years are more than ‘childcare workers’ –  they are education professionals. Until this is fully understood – and reflected in government policy – the workforce challenges we are seeing today will only continue.”