A one in 100 chance to call somewhere home: ECEC worker affordability crisis

Australia’s early childhood education and care (ECEC) employees are struggling to find affordable rental properties, with fewer than one in 100 properties falling within an acceptable affordability range, recent analysis from Anglicare Australia’s latest Rental Affordability Snapshot has shown. 

Along with other essential workers such as nurses, construction workers, teachers and emergency services personnel, ECEC sector employees are finding the cost of living crisis increasingly challenging to navigate, with moving to cheaper regional areas no longer offering the solution to a more affordable life it once did. 

The snapshot and analysis compared the full-time award wages of 16 key occupations after tax with the price of 45,000 rental properties on realestate.com.au on a weekend in March.

Homes were deemed unaffordable if a single person would have to spend more than 30 per cent of their take home pay on housing.

Fewer rentals were advertised during March than in previous years, which was in line with a drop in the national vacancy rate to just over one per cent.

“No matter how you look at it, these essential workers are faced with a dire picture when looking for an affordable rental,” the report’s authors note.

Affordability was low across all states and territories but even workers in the areas with greatest availability like far west NSW or outback Queensland had higher living costs, fewer job opportunities and faced larger commuter distances.

“It should be a national scandal that so few of our essential workers can afford to keep a roof over their head,” Anglicare Australia executive director Kasy Chambers said.

“It is no mystery why essential industries are severely short-staffed, virtually no part of Australia is affordable for aged care workers, early childhood educators, cleaners, nurses and many other essential workers we rely on.”

Access the Snapshot here.