Nursery World - On the up!

Believe it or not, earnings in the nursery sector are rising sharply. Ruth Thomson looks at the reasons behind pay and staffing trends Staff shortages and rises in the National Minimum Wage (NMW) are pushing childcare sector salaries ever higher, with some nursery staff enjoying pay increases of more than 10 per cent in the past year, according to a new survey covering 388 nurseries. The rises bring the median pay range of qualified nursery nurses to 9,200-10,500, while that of managers now stands at 14,600-18,000.

Staff shortages and rises in the National Minimum Wage (NMW) are pushing childcare sector salaries ever higher, with some nursery staff enjoying pay increases of more than 10 per cent in the past year, according to a new survey covering 388 nurseries. The rises bring the median pay range of qualified nursery nurses to 9,200-10,500, while that of managers now stands at 14,600-18,000.

The steep rises, revealed in Income Data Services' Pay in Nurseries survey published last month and mirrored in the Government's New Earnings Survey, lifts childcare work out of the ten lowest-paid occupations.

Michael Thompson, managing director of Child Base, which was included in the survey, is unsurprised by the general findings. He predicts pay rises of 7, 8 and 9 per cent in the coming year. 'The trend is set to continue,'

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