Low wages driving childcare workers into retail jobs

Amid rising concern that childcare workers are increasingly likely to switch to careers in retail, the Education Policy Institute (EPI) has carried out research comparing pay, working conditions, demographics and qualifications of the early years workforce and retail workers in England.

Childcare worker pay is undergoing a sharp real terms decline and based on current trends could be overtaken by retail wages by 2021, according to the findings.

Falling real wages could worsen the current retention and recruitment outlook for the sector, with low pay one of the main drivers for childcare workers leaving the sector, the EPI says.

The early years workforce has faced issues around recruitment and retention for several years, and there is growing evidence that nursery staff are opting to leave the sector to work in retail for better pay and conditions.

With childcare workers unlikely to face any qualification barriers in starting a retail career, the EPI says that combined with the increasing likelihood of higher pay in retail, this is likely to lead to more childcare workers moving into retail jobs.