Ibec's head of childhood services in Ireland says the early childhood sector needs urgent government support.
Cork creche operator John Bowman says many providers are struggling to recruit staff as many have found better paying jobs with less responsibility during the pandemic.
The government are due to increase investment in the sector to just under one billion euro in 2025, however Ibec say the sector needs at least 1.5 billion.
Speaking to RedFM News, John Bowman says the pandemic has made things much worse for childcare providers:
"Childcare in Ireland has been chronically underfunded for years. The shortages in capacity and the exit of professionals from the sector: this is all indicative of what has been allowed to happen over the last 10-12 years with a serious lack of investment. We are the absolute bottom of the pile when it comes to government investment across Europe."
