The Social Childcare Association (BMK) has published the report 'Seizing the Potential'. The study calculates specifically how much employees in healthcare and childcare earn by expanding their working hours. The trade association aims to address the staff shortage in both sectors by motivating existing employees to work more hours.
Staff shortage remains acute
Childcare has been struggling for years with a structural shortage of qualified staff. Due to an aging population, a tight labour market, and employees leaving for other sectors, the industry is finding it difficult to fill vacancies. The government has announced measures, such as easing the jobs agreement quota and additional investments in training, but in the short term, more staff is needed immediately.
The BMK therefore focuses on a group that is often overlooked: current employees who work fewer hours than they would like or are able to. Many employees in childcare work part-time, sometimes due to personal circumstances, but often also because the financial incentive to work more hours is lacking. Due to the combination of higher taxes, reduction of benefits, and rising childcare costs, working more hours does not pay off financially—or barely pays off—for some parents.
Financial barriers eat into income
The Dutch tax and benefits system means that dual-income earners and single parents lose a large portion of their extra income to higher charges when they work more. The childcare benefit (kinderopvangtoeslag), for example, is provided on an income-dependent basis: the more a parent earns, the lower the percentage that the government reimburses. In addition, the level of income tax and the reduction of other benefits play a role.
The BMK report illustrates this by calculating the net effect of working more hours for each situation. This gives employees and employers tools to enter into discussions about expanding working hours. For the childcare sector, this is of great importance: every extra hour worked helps strengthen staffing levels and safeguard the quality of care.
What does this mean for parents?
For parents with children in care, this report has indirect consequences, but also direct points of reference:
- Better staffing levels: if more employees work more hours, the risk of understaffing or group care with fewer qualified staff decreases
- Stability for your child: familiar faces and less turnover of childcare workers contribute to a safe care environment
- Considering working more hours yourself?: the report shows that the financial calculation is complex; use the benefits calculator from the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration to work through your situation
- Talk to your employer: it pays to explore whether expanding your hours is financially advantageous or not, including any compensation arrangements from the employer
The full report 'Seizing the Potential' is available via the website of the Social Childcare Association.