The Early Years Workforce in England 2025
01 September 2025
A previous version of this summary stated that early years workers with lower qualification levels report limited opportunities for career progression. It also stated levels of wellbeing are lower among higher qualified early years staff. Additional analysis conducted after the publication of this report suggested this may not be supported by data. This summary was consequently updated on February 5 2026. A new report featuring fresh analysis is due for publication towards the end of February.
The aim of this National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) report is to provide an overview of the early years workforce in England and identify risks and challenges for recruitment and retention.
The report summarises the key trends in recruitment, retention, pay, working conditions and wellbeing within the early years workforce, and points towards actions that are likely to have the greatest impact on addressing the workforce challenges identified.
Early childhood education and care has become an increasingly prominent focus for the Government (both currently under Labour and previously under the Conservatives) and the public in recent years. The Government has promised increases in the quantity and quality of early years provision available to parents. However, providers have expressed significant concerns about the feasibility of staffing any increase in provision.
Key Findings
- The early years workforce has grown significantly in recent years, but providers still face significant staffing, recruitment and retention challenges.
- Staff retention is a significant challenge, particularly for staff in group-based providers, putting the stability of the expanding workforce at risk.
- Pay levels in the early years are much lower compared to both the general workforce and similar workers, but have risen in relative terms recently.
- A lack of research insights and high-quality data on the early years workforce may restrict effective policymaking.
