Low pay and status hinders workforce

To solve the problem, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said the government needs to get the whole workforce qualified to at least level three, draw up a career structure for workers and agree suitable minimum wages.

The findings for IPPR's For Love or Money report, published today (2 April), are based on focus groups involving 53 early years workers mostly from private and voluntary nurseries.

The report says the low pay and status of early years workers is linked to the fact that the workforce is predominately female. Low pay makes it difficult to find and keep staff, while low status means it is harder for workers to form supportive relationships with parents.

The report also finds low minimum qualification requirements and lack of a clear career ladder in the sector is holding down both wages and quality.

Workers believe progression means moving into management, rather than being properly rewarded for the jobs they currently do. This, along with limited understanding of how to move into the wider children's workforce, could cause many staff to leave the early years sector altogether.

"Overall, there was a sense of powerlessness - that changes are being done to the workforce rather than in partnership with it," the report says.

The report's author, Graeme Cooke, senior research fellow at IPPR, said: "A world-class early years system requires a world-class workforce. That means investing in training, raising the bar on the skills required and taking steps to match higher quality with better pay. The early years is central to economic prosperity and social justice - so can we afford not to?"

IPPR has said an independent early years practitioners board should be formed to give feedback on policy and workforce reforms.

The report also recommends that more senior early years workers are qualified at level five to improve the quality of the workforce and meet the demand for highly skilled workers.