Australia needs tens of thousands more early childhood education workers, but poor pay and tough working conditions are driving people out of the sector.

In an industry that employs about 200,000 people, about 21,000 more qualified professionals are required to address the current shortage, another 18,000 must be hired to meet future demand and an additional 18,000 will be needed to help realise the federal government’s child care subsidy and expanded preschool plans, a Commonwealth report found.

And if Australia wants to improve children’s development by offering universal preschool, the early childhood education industry would have to grow by three per cent every year.

However, the sector is struggling attract and retain workers.

On average, early childhood educators had a lower weekly pay than warehouse workers or administrative clerks, despite requiring a much higher level of qualification.

Compared to other care sectors, educators earn less casual loading than aged and disabled carers even though they work about five hours more every week.

People who work in early childhood education are also more likely to be hurt while on the clock and in 2021, the rate of serious injury claims in childcare services was 14.2 per million hours worked compared to the 6.5 claims per million hours worked across all industries.

More than 93 per cent of early childhood workers are female, which means women’s primary school responsibilities can make staffing difficult.

All of this contributes to high turnover, which means childcare centres are increasingly relying on trainees, and experienced workers spend more time providing job supervision or recruiting and onboarding new staff.

As a result, the quality of children’s early learning could be compromised.

To improve the sustainability of the sector, the Future of Early Childhood Education Profession report recommends the government help fund long-term wage growth for workers and keep wage rates in awards and enterprise agreements as competitive as possible.

Politicians should also help those studying to enter the industry by continuing to fund paid placements and supporting international students.

Employers should also allow all staff opportunities for ongoing professional development.

The Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five campaigner Jay Weatherill has urged the federal government to step in to help educators teach students from a range of cultural backgrounds.

“Passion alone does not pay the bills … educators want to work in a system that accommodates all children, and gives them the best opportunities,” he said.

United Workers Union early education director Carolyn Smith said the Jobs and Skills Australia report offered a blueprint for reform and said a pay rise was vital.

“This report is important because it shows in full the workforce crisis affecting early childhood education and care,” she said.

The federal government has already helped fund a 15 per cent wage increase for early childhood education and care workers.

This post was originally published on Michael West.