Childcare industry faces labor shortage as childminders retire

2023-02-27

The profession of childcare is facing a labor shortage. Childcare has been an aging industry for some time. Now more and more childminders are retiring, and experts say a crisis is looming. The Peng Wan-ru Foundation is dangling big subsidies in front of new childminders who enter the business. And the government is also relaxing rules for childcare agencies, in the hope of tempting more people to give it a try.

Looking after small children is a difficult job. Families with two parents working full time can struggle to find a childminder. That sometimes means one parent giving up their job to care for the child.

Lee Yi-hua
Childminder
At first, I had two children going to kindergarten. I looked through so many jobs, and sent off so many resumes, to find a job that could fit with the schedule I had to pick up and drop the kids off at kindergarten. But none were suitable. In the end, I applied to become a home childminder, so I could earn a stable income while looking after my children.

Working and raising children simultaneously is tough, but now a new childminders’ alliance is giving new childminders professional classes so they can start their own businesses.

Chuang Tzu-hsuan
Childminders’ Alliance member
When I worked at a childcare center, it felt like just doing a job. They take on more children at the center than they should, but that didn’t make my wages go up.

At first, Chuang Tzu-hsuan worked alone. Her friend Yu-ching would often pop in for a chat and enjoyed helping so much that, eventually, the pair became a business duo.

Chuang Tzu-hsuan
Childminders’ Alliance member
Parents have been telling us that they want to find a younger childminder, someone who’s easier to communicate with.

The childminding profession is aging. Only 40% of childminders are under the age of 50. The 60% who are 50 or over are approaching retirement soon. There are 27,000 childminders now; in 10 years, at least 10,000 of them will have retired, leaving a severe labor shortage.

Wang Chao-ching
Peng Wan-ru Foundation CEO
60% of childminders will retire in the next 10 years. So in the next decade we will see a tidal wave of turnover in the profession. It will be harder for parents to find childminders. For that reason, we believe that this is the last chance for us to bring new childminders into the world.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare is making it easier to get into the job by amending the law on Family Childcare Service Agencies. They’re allowing agencies to take in more children, and increasing the number of official inspections. The Peng Wan-ru Foundation is also offering subsidies of NT$5 million to help new childminders enter the industry, in the hopes of making Taiwan a friendlier place for young families.

鼓勵在家創業當保母基金會祭"就業獎助金"

2023-02-27

因為現職保母嚴重高齡化，五年內即將出現海嘯式的人力流失潮。衛福部放寬保母進場門檻，彭婉如基金會祭出「保母就業獎助金」，鼓勵新手全職媽媽、托嬰中心員工，在家創業當保母，包括因為要照顧小孩辭掉工作的媽媽們，也有機會靠"帶孩子"創造收入。

照顧小小孩並不輕鬆，要是雙薪家庭沒後援，找保母又四處碰壁，新手爸媽好無助，只好放棄工作，照顧小孩。

[[保母李怡華]]
“當初為了兩個小朋友上幼兒園，因為要配合小朋友上下課的時間，我找了很多工作，也投了很多履歷，都沒有找到適合小朋友。後來登記在家當保母，顧好自己的小朋友之外，也可以有穩定的收入。”

要兼顧小孩和工作不容易，現在更有一群年輕人上專業課程，聯手當起保母，成了另類創業。

[[聯合收托保母莊子萱]]
“在托育中心工作的時候，感覺都是為了工作而工作。托嬰中心超收這件事情並沒有因此讓我的薪水變得比較多。”

原本只有子萱獨力收托，後來好朋友有婧經常串門子後，發現自己也喜歡小孩，便開啟了兩人創業之路。

[[聯合收托保母莊子萱]]
“家長有自己講，就是他們希望找年輕一點的，就是比較好溝通。”

現在保母嚴重老化，50歲以下的只佔了4成，其餘6成超過50歲以上的保母，不久後將面臨退休，原本2萬7千多名，10年內，預估有1萬多名退休，人才海嘯式流失超過6成。

[[彭婉如文教基金會執行長王兆慶]]
“百分之60的保母都會在10年內退休，也就是未來10年保母會出現海嘯式的人力流失，家長會更難找保母，基於這個原因，我們會認為這是我們想要催生新保母的最後機會。”

衛福部放寬保母進場門檻，修正居家托育服務辦法，增加收托兒童人數，和托育人員訪視次數，彭婉如基金會也提供總額500萬元的保母就業補助，希望讓台灣育兒環境更加友善。