There is a quiet crisis playing out in kitchens and car parks across Ireland that rarely makes it onto a policy slide. A mother gets offered the job she has been working towards for years. She runs the numbers. Childcare for two children, minus the National Childcare Scheme subsidy, leaves her with less take-home than she earns now. She emails back and says no thank you.
This happens every single week in Ireland. Not because women do not want to work. Not because employers are not trying to hire them. But because the availability and cost of childcare makes full-time employment a financial negative — especially for the second earner in a household, who is almost always a woman.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Irish parents pay an average of €190 per week for early years childcare, with Dublin parents regularly exceeding €200. As a share of household income, Ireland ranks among the most expensive countries in Europe for childcare — with families spending nearly double the OECD average. The National Childcare Scheme subsidies have helped at the margins, but for many families in the middle — too well-off to qualify for maximum support, too stretched to absorb full fees — the arithmetic still does not add up.
High childcare costs are an economic problem. But unavailable childcare places are the deeper crisis. You cannot pay for something that does not exist.
Cost Is Only Half the Problem
Even parents who could afford childcare are finding there are no places to buy. Services are running at or beyond capacity. Waiting lists stretch years in some towns. And the reason those places do not exist is not a lack of buildings or demand — it is a lack of qualified staff to run the rooms.
Under Irish regulations, every person working in a Tusla-registered early years service must hold a recognised QQI qualification and Garda vetting clearance. Room ratios are strict and legally enforced. A service cannot simply open another room because parents need it. It needs the right person, with the right qualification, cleared to work. And right now, that person is incredibly hard to find — because the sector has been chronically underpaid, undervalued, and overlooked for decades.
Who Pays the Price
The cost of Ireland's childcare staffing shortage is not paid evenly. It lands hardest on women — particularly mothers of young children who are trying to re-enter employment or progress in their careers. Research consistently shows that it is the second earner, almost always the mother, who exits the workforce or reduces hours when childcare becomes unavailable or unaffordable. The result is lost income, lost pension contributions, lost career progression, and a widening gender pay gap that compounds over time.
Ireland spends roughly 0.2% of GDP on early years — compared to an OECD average of 0.9%. The sector has been asked to provide a public good on private-sector economics. The strain shows in every unfilled vacancy, every closed room, and every parent who has had to call their employer and say they cannot come back.
Fixing the Staffing Side Is the Fastest Lever
The Government's action plan promises to bring childcare costs down to €200 per month per child. That is the right ambition. But lower fees only help if there are places to fill. And there will only be more places when providers can recruit qualified staff faster and retain them longer.
That is precisely the gap EarlyO was built to close. By connecting qualified early years educators — Montessori teachers, crèche workers, childcare assistants at Level 5, 6, and beyond — directly with services that need them, we help providers open rooms that are currently sitting empty. Every room that opens is a childcare place that did not exist yesterday. Every place that opens is a parent who can go back to work.
- Candidates matched to roles by QQI level, location, and availability — not just keywords
- Garda-vetted candidates only, so vetting starts sooner and rooms open faster
- Purpose-built for the Irish early years sector — not a generic jobs board
- Free for candidates to register and use
A Platform Built for the People the Sector Depends On
Early years educators are the foundation of everything — childcare availability, workforce participation, child development, and the broader Irish economy. They deserve a recruitment experience that recognises their qualifications, matches them to the right role, and values their time. And providers deserve a faster, simpler way to find the people they need.
EarlyO is launching soon — Ireland's first jobs platform built specifically for the early years sector. If you are a candidate or a provider, register your interest today.