CYP Now - Early years workers 'earning £5 per hour' as low pay and long hours threaten sector

As many as one in eight early years workers earn less than £5 per hour, a damning new report by the government’s Social Mobility Commission shows.

Children's development could suffer if workforce stability is not improved, the report states. Picture: Adobe Stock

The research, carried out by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), warns that low pay, high workloads and a lack of career development across the sector risk having a serious impact on care and education services for under-fives.

In England, the average wage across the early years workforce is £7.42 an hour, The stability of the early years workforce in England report states, compared with £11.37 for the female workforce and £12.57 for total population.

Some 13 per cent of the workforce earn less than £5 an hour while many childcare workers take on second jobs to make ends meet, researchers add.

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