Findings from a survey by the Early Years Alliance of 1,400 nurseries, pre-schools and childminders reveal the extent of staff shortages in the sector and the impact on the ability of children and families to access childcare and early education.
More than 8 in 10 (84 per cent) are finding it difficult to recruit staff.
The reasons mostly commonly given by these respondents were a lack of applicants for roles (87 per cent), applicants lacking full and relevant early years qualifications, (70 per cent) and an inability to meet the salary demands of applicants (52 per cent).
Staff shortages are having an impact on the number of childcare places settings can offer, with around half of respondents (49 per cent) having had to limit the number of, or stop taking on, new children at their setting over the six months prior to the survey.
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