Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 July 2026
658. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total annual cost of wages for childcare workers; the number of childcare workers that are in receipt of Government support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51337/26]
View answerPay is one of a number of challenges impacting the early learning and care and school-age childcare workforce. The level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners does not reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy.
Although the Government is the primary funder of the sector, it is not the employer and cannot directly set wages or conditions for any staff in the sector.
The Joint Labour Committee is the formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate minimum pay rates, which are set down in Employment Regulation Orders, and is independent in its functions.
Pay and conditions are improving. Through the work of the JLC and successive ERO’s, minimum pay rates have now risen three times in four years, delivering an average 15% increase in minimum rates of pay. This marks significant progress in professionalising the workforce. The latest ERO came into effect in October 2025 which saw an increase in minimum pay rates of, on average, 10% and will increase pay for over 67% of staff in the sector.
Outcomes from the Joint Labour Committee process are supported by Government through Core Funding. In this programme year 2025/26 Core Funding has increased by 6% to approximately €350 million with an additional €45 million in ring-fenced Core Funding provided to support services in meeting the increased cost of minimum pay rates in the sector. For programme year 2026/2027, I recently announced that Core Funding will be increased by 23% to €480 million. An additional €45 million has also been ringfenced from September 2026 to support services in meeting the potential costs of increasing rates of pay, contingent upon new ERO’s being enacted following successful negotiations by the independent JLC.
The estimated annual cost of wages for childcare educators is €1,268,241,338. An estimated 37,400 educators’ wages were supported through government funding in May 2026. Included in this calculation are staff who are in receipt of funding or partial funding through other government schemes such as AIM, Equal Start and Community Employment Schemes.
General data assumptions
Cost estimates are based on the data available to the department, provided by service providers in receipt of Core Funding. The data was pulled on 6th May 2026.
A 21% employer cost has been included in the calculations (to cover PRSI, Holiday pay, Sick Pay and Auto Enrolment Pension contributions).
The cost estimates only relate to staff and managers covered by the current Employment Regulation Orders, i.e. the estimates exclude the cost of ancillary staff.
Core Funding data was extrapolated to represent the entire sector at factor of 1/0.88.
Staff whose recorded annual hours exceeded the valid threshold were assigned the mean annual hours calculated from the valid population.
Staff whose rate of pay is entered below the latest ERO in the data pull are assigned a rate equal to the latest ERO.
