Please find below a comment from Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, on the latest National Foundation for Educational Research report on the early years workforce in England in 2025.

Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said:

“We welcome the report from the National Foundation for Educational Research and its clear call for the government to go further in supporting the early years workforce by adopting measures that foster genuine career progression and make early years work a viable long-term profession.

“However, we must stress that the growth in workforce highlighted in the report is at real risk if the government continues its longstanding underfunding of the sector. Last year alone, over half of providers surveyed by the Alliance reported that staffing shortages negatively impacted the quality of their provision, and more than three-quarters found it difficult to recruit suitable new early years staff.

“The stark reality is that current early years funding does not cover the true cost of delivering the high-quality care providers strive to offer, often under extremely challenging circumstances. Recent increases in national insurance contributions and the national living wage have not been factored into the latest round of funding, leaving the sustainability of the workforce in serious doubt.

“The sector is facing a severe recruitment and retention crisis. We urge the government to listen carefully to the policy recommendations in this report, to adequately fund the sector, and to provide the recognition that early years professionals rightly deserve.”