According to an analysis by the TUC of data collected by the Coram Family and Childcare Trust, every English region is struggling to recruit childcare workers.
Nearly all (95%) of English councils who responded to the survey told Coram that childcare providers in their area were having difficulty recruiting childcare workers with the right skills and experience to do the job. Eight in 10 local authorities described it as “very difficult”.
The TUC also found that across the UK care workers were earning below the real living wage and were significantly underpaid relative to pay across the rest of the economy. Specifically, it found that:
- More than three in five (62%) childcare assistants and practitioners earned less than the real Living Wage (£10.90 an hour).
- More than three in five (61%) social care workers and senior care workers earned less than the real Living Wage.
- Social care workers earned around 65% of the median salary for all employees (£21,500 per annum compared to £33,000).
- Childcare practitioners earned only 56% of the median salary for all employees (£18,400), while childcare assistants earned 58% of the median wage (£19,000).
In order to address these issues, the TUC is proposing a new care workforce strategy for England which, it says, should:
- Ensure that worker voices are heard and valued through sectoral collective bargaining to agree pay and working conditions alongside National Partnership Forums in social care and childcare.
- Provide decent pay and conditions for all care workers including a minimum wage of £15 per hour, sick pay, secure contracts and full payment for all time worked.
- Incorporate nationally negotiated skills, training, and progression frameworks to ensure consistency and quality so that staff are fairly renumerated and can progress. These frameworks should make sure that training is accredited and qualifications are recognised and transferrable to new employers.
- Ensure that staffing levels are based on care and education needs and not arbitrary ratios. In addition, there should be a zero-tolerance approach to workplace abuse with comprehensive safeguarding and support, notably for staff who may be at risk of experiencing abuse and harassment including Black and migrant workers.
To read the report, click here.
