Childcare a crunch issue for workers
Childcare continues to be an issue of affordability and availability for Irish workers and looks set to influence voting patterns at the next general election.
In response to a new survey from recruitment website RecruitIreland.com, 77% of respondents rated the Government’s performance on the provision of affordable childcare facilities as poor or very poor – just 1.9% rated the Government’s performance as very good.
Some 78% of respondents also indicated that the availability of childcare facilities will influence the way they vote at the next general election. 93% of respondents also think that the Government should make more funds available for childcare.
Almost one quarter of respondents spend more on childcare than on their mortgage or rent while a further 24% of respondents pay the same for childcare as for mortgage. 47% of respondents spend between €501 and €1,100 per month per childcare place. 18% spend up to €500 per month per childcare place with a further 32% of respondents spending up to €400.
Regarding access to childcare facilities, almost 96% of respondents do not have access to childcare facilities in work. Instead respondents resort to a variety of childcare options with the largest proportion (33%) placing their children in a crèche. Significantly, 29% of respondents rely on family and relations for their childcare needs indicating a significant reliance on family support to allow people with children to continue to work.
The majority of respondents (55%) spend one to two hours of leisure time with their children on working days with 33% spending three to four hours of leisure time with their children on work days.
69% of employees said they would leave their current employer if offered a similar job by an employer with childcare facilities even if it meant taking a salary cut.
More than 60% would take a 10% salary cut, 27% of respondents would take a 20% salary cut and almost 6% would take a 30% cut in salary to get access to childcare facilities at work.
Finally, employees also state that they are caught in a ‘Catch 22’ scenario as more than 77% believe that taking parental leave could hinder their chances of promotion at work. Linked to this is the statement by 44% of respondents that they cannot afford to take unpaid parental leave.
Speaking about the results, Aoife Curtin of RecruitIreland.com said: “This is the third year in which we have surveyed workers on childcare in Ireland and there seems to have been little progress on the issue.
"The level of reliance on family support networks for childcare facilities is significant as without that family support many people may not be in a position to return to work.
"The Government is already spending vast sums of money on childcare but the results show that there is a need for more action on this issue.”
