The Early Years Workforce in England: A Comparative Analysis

Link to full report: The Early Years Workforce in England: A Comparative Analysis
Author: Sara Bonetti
Published by: Education Policy Institute, January 2019

SUMMARY

High-quality early years provision can have a positive and lasting impact on children's development. Past research has shown that a skilled and qualified workforce is a key driver of quality.

The researchers used 2006 to 2018 data from the government's Labour Force Survey, a national survey of private households in the UK. They compared four groups of workers. The first consisted of "childcare workers", which includes nursery nurses and assistants, childminders, playworkers, teaching assistants, and educational support assistants. The second group was comprised of "teaching workers" such as primary and nursery teachers. The researchers also looked at "competing occupations" such as hair and beauty, which are often seen as career alternatives for students with poor academic records and mothers returning to work. The fourth group comprised the entire female working population.

The data analysis found the childcare workforce is less qualified than both the teaching workforce and the general female workforce. In 2018, 25.1 per cent of childcare workers held a degree as their highest-level qualification while 92.8 per cent of teaching workers and 37.1 per cent of all female workers had a degree or equivalent qualification. More than a third of childcare workers held a Level 3 qualification as their highest qualification compared with only 1.9 per cent of the teaching workers and 21.1 per cent of working women. Only 16.5 per cent of nursery nurses and assistants had a degree compared with 31.5 per cent of teaching assistants and 28.1 per cent of educational support assistants.

The proportion of childcare workers studying towards a higher qualification fell from 22.7 per cent in 2008 to 17.2 per cent in 2013 and to 14.9 per cent in 2018, suggesting qualification levels will fall in the future. This is in contrast with the three other groups considered in the analysis, which have all shown increasing qualification levels.

Data analysis revealed childcare workers are often in a position of high financial insecurity. Average pay for the childcare workforce was £8.20 per hour in 2018, which was £5 less than the average hourly pay of the female working population. The sector has suffered a pay reduction of nearly five per cent in real terms since 2013, compared with an increase of 2.5 per cent for all working women. The proportion of childcare workers claiming state benefits or tax credits remains very high at 44.5 per cent compared with 30 per cent of teaching workers, 40 per cent of hairdressers and beauticians, and 34 per cent of female workers.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The report found recruitment, already a major concern in the early years sector, may become even harder in the near future due to the fact many experienced and well-qualified staff are nearing retirement age alongside a decrease in the proportion of workers studying towards higher qualifications. It called on the government to develop a long-term strategy placing the early years workforce at the heart of early years and social mobility policy. The report said any strategy would need to include government support to increase qualification levels and facilitate access to continuing professional development. It also highlighted the need for a pay increase to provide a greater incentive to stay in the sector once staff have gained further qualifications and skills, and other forms of support that could allow the workforce to be more financially stable.

FURTHER READING

Study of Early Education and Development (SEED): Study of Quality of Early Years Provision in England (Revised), Edward Melhuish and Julian Gardiner, Department for Education, December 2017, revised May 2018

Building Blocks 2018: A Report on the State of the Childcare and Early Years Sector in England, Susanna Kalitowski, Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years, November 2018

About Early Years: The Independent Sector Research Programme Annual Report, Ceeda, October 2018