Union warns that cheaper childcare will lead to a shortage of spots for 275,000 children

There will be no space for childcare for around 275,000 children in ten years if the Cabinet continues its plans to make it free and no action is taken against staff shortages. Trade union CNV has said this based on their own calculations.

The largest shortage of places will be at after school care (bso), the union predicted. There will be a shortage of around 200,000 spots in this sector in 2034. Daycare centers, where younger children go, will have a shortage of 75,000 places that year, according to the analysis. The shortage in staff will likely go up to 33,000 employees.

“A spot at a daycare or after school care organization will be like winning a lottery ticket. Tens of thousand of working parents who are dependent on childcare will have to work less or not at all,” CNV warned. The union has sent a letter about this to the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament and will also discuss this with the state secretary Jurgen Nobel on Thursday.

CNV is looking for the solution in increasing the stream of new workers in the sector. “Make sure that people who are interested in a job in child day care can combine their course with a job in the sector,” said a spokesperson.

They are also committed to the collective labor agreement: higher wages and better travel allowances. CNV also wants to realize more say for employees, such as more control over schedules and reducing the administrative burden.

Childcare will likely become a lot cheaper due to a new system from the government, which will likely lead to a more significant demand in childcare. CNV are not opposed to the change in system, but believes that the Cabinet is "missing the mark" with its current plans.