Nursery World - Low pay forces early years workers to quit jobs they love

Early years workers should be paid the same as primary teachers, according to new research, which says that thousands of professionals in the sector are being driven out by low pay and lack of recognition.

Tens of thousands of early years workers are leaving the sector because of low pay, increasing workload and lack of recognition

Poor salaries and increasing workload are likely to have contributed to a loss of thousands of early years workers in the past year, according to a report out today.

Joint research by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) with the Education Policy Institute (EPI) has found that while many staff initially pursued a career in the sector because of a love for early years education, many are now leaving due to low pay, lack of recognition, and the emotional and physical demands of the job.

The report recommends that early years pay should be matched with that of primary teachers.

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