Less is more

This year's nanny pay survey paints a rather different picture from last January, which showed an increase in salaries well beyond inflation in most parts of the country. Yet even though take-home salaries for live-in nannies in central London have gone down by 5 per cent, from 308 per week last year to 292 per week this year, and salaries in the rest of the country have remained more or less fixed, this may actually be a positive sign.

An overwhelming 72 per cent of nanny agencies participating in the survey report a definite increase in the total number of nanny placements during 2004, and 82 per cent expect to place even more nannies during 2005. Last year's pay rises were generally considered to reflect the affluent top end of the market, indicating that families in the lower earnings brackets were opting for other forms of childcare. This year's figures, along with the recruitment reports from nanny agencies, show that the demand for nannies is growing and also that lower-income families are employing nannies. So even though the pay levels may not be as high as in the past, they are reflecting a positive changing trend in the nanny market.