Low pay is a significant obstacle in recruiting childcare workers in Kilkenny

SIPTU childcare study shows that low pay is driving Early Years workers out of profession.

The survey found that 41% of Early Years professionals are actively seeking a job in another sector.

The survey shows that 94% of managers found it ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ to recruit staff in the past 12 months. 84% of managers identified pay as ‘the biggest’ or ‘a significant’ obstacle to recruiting staff with the biggest impact of recruitment difficulties being on quality for children (67%) and reducing the number of children that can be cared for (57%).

55% of Early Years managers in Kilkenny had to recruit new staff in 2021 and found it very difficult beside dealing with Covid 19 outbreaks and administrative burden. . 54% of Early Years educators in Kilkenny said that they earn below the living wage (€12.90). 70% said that they don’t receive any sick pay. 94% don’t have any pension through employment.

“Other key findings include that 66% Early Years educators in Ireland regularly do unpaid work, and just 10% have paid maternity leave from work.

Rebecca Knox, Early Years educator and member of Carlow-Kilkenny Big Start Committee said:

“Covid-19 brought about much change for Ireland and the world. Although a light was shone on the essential and important work of early years practitioners, poverty pay and poor terms and conditions has remained. The result being the mass exodus of qualified, early years professionals who think too highly of the work they do to stand for such poor standards.

SIPTU Organiser Lenka Halouzkova said: “Even before Covid-19 there was a staffing crisis. We are now on the verge of a mass exodus unless pay and conditions are addressed. The Government knows this and has provided significant funding in Budget 2022 to fix this problem. The focus now must be on agreeing rates of pay that will make it financially possible for Early Years professionals to stay in the sector.