Huge pay for babysitters amid childcare crisis

Babysitters are asking for up to $45 an hour as parents are turned away from childcare centres due to staff shortages.

Casual babysitters are asking for up to $45 an hour, as Australia’s childcare sector struggles with widespread staff shortages.

Many babysitters are asking $30-$35 an hour during the day with some seeking even more for evenings, online profiles show.

On the higher end of the scale, a 34-year-old early childhood educator in Melbourne on the Find a Babysitter website lists his rate as $40 during the day and $45 from 6pm.

A 26-year-old woman in Sydney with experience as a full-time nanny lists her rate as $35 during the day, $40 in the afternoon and $45 in the evening.

It comes amid a workforce crisis in the childcare sector, where parents are being turned away because there is not enough staff.

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Online profiles show babysitters are asking for up to $45 an hour. Picture: iStock

Helen Gibbons, executive director of early education for the United Workers Union, said poor pay, increased workload and stress were forcing employees to leave their jobs.

“There was already really significant turnover in the sector before the pandemic. The pandemic massively amplified the turnover,” she said.

“We did a survey of 4000 educators last year and 37 per cent said they intended to leave.”

This high turnover is reflected in data from employment marketplace SEEK, which shows demand for childcare and outside school hours care workers has increased significantly from before the pandemic.

Job ad data demonstrates how demand for childcare and outside school hours care (blue) and early childhood teachers (green) has changed over time. The significant dips reflect lockdowns. Picture SEEK

In April, early childhood teaching job ads increased 40 per cent year on year, and 22 per cent compared to the previous quarter.

Childcare and outside school hours care job ads were up 34 per cent on April last year and 19 per cent on the previous quarter.

“People usually love their job but they just can’t afford to stay in it anymore and they don’t feel valued and respected,” Ms Gibbons said.

“The funding that pays their wages is provided by either the federal government or by parents, and nobody wants to see parent fees go up.”

Ms Gibbons explained the high cost for babysitters was in part market driven, but also because most often they had to manage their own superannuation, sick leave, annual leave, and worked evenings and weekends.

The minimum wage for a childcare worker with a Certificate 3 qualification is $23.67 an hour under the Children’s Services Award.

In their second year it increases slightly to $24.49 and in their third year it is $25.26.