Childcare costs rose by an average of 19 per cent in the year to December 2013, according to the results of a survey by Findababysitter.com.
The childcare website collected data from 231,000 nannies, childminders and other childcare professionals and found that employing all types of childcarers increased in 2013.
Key findings from the report:
- The hourly cost of employing a nanny increased by 25 per cent in the year to December 2013
- The cost of housekeepers showed the largest increase of 33 per cent. A housekeeper cost an average £7.55 per hour in 2012 but increased to £11.25 in 2013
- 51 per cent of the parents surveyed think the Government could offer more support
- 24 per cent of the unemployed parents surveyed would like to work but are prohibited by childcare costs
- Birmingham (37 per cent) and Bristol (32 per cent) have the highest rates of unemployed parents struggling to afford childcare costs.
- In the report, Tom Harrow, CEO of Findababysitter.com, was critical of Government policy:
- “Hard-working families are often ignored, or forgotten, with Government policies making it incrementally harder for parents each year.
“[…] the findings show that even though more parents are managing to get back to work, their largest outgoing is childcare. This is mainly caused by a lack of flexibility from their employers, and their understanding of what childcare options are out there.”
However, the figures may not give the whole picture as it did not take into account free nursery places offered by the Government.
