Independent survey open on worker retention payment

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers and services are invited to take part in a short national survey evaluating the worker retention payment initiative.

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers and services are invited to take part in a short national survey evaluating the worker retention payment initiative.

To understand how the worker retention payment is operating across the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, the Australian Government has commissioned an independent survey to gather feedback from providers and services.

The initiative was introduced as part of a broader effort to support workforce stability across the ECEC sector. With increasing pressures on services to attract and retain qualified educators, the retention payment has aimed to ease some of the financial and professional challenges facing the workforce. As part of its ongoing commitment to sector improvement, the Australian Government is seeking feedback from ECEC providers to understand how the initiative has been experienced at the service level.

The survey will gather insights on how the retention payment has influenced educator retention, professional satisfaction, and service operations. It also invites respondents to comment on any administrative challenges or opportunities that have emerged during the implementation of the scheme.

Participation in the survey is voluntary, but highly encouraged. The insights collected will inform future decisions around workforce support, funding mechanisms, and policy development affecting early learning environments nationwide. 

ECEC providers are encouraged to share the survey within their networks to support broad sector engagement. The more voices captured, the more accurately the survey can reflect the real-world impacts of workforce retention strategies.

The survey is open until 12:00 pm AEDT, Monday 15 December 2025 and can be completed online in approximately 10–15 minutes.

How to take part

ORIMA Research is sending survey invitations to selected ECEC providers and services this week.

Invitations will be sent from [email protected] and include a unique survey link.

For questions about the survey: contact [email protected]

For technical assistance: email [email protected]