Staffing issues may force 'hundreds' of childcare firms to close

The childcare sector is threatened by chronic staff shortages and rising costs, warned Tigers Childcare CEO Karen Clince

Tigers Childcare founder and CEO Karen Clince: 'I have worked in the sector for over 21 years, I have never experienced anything like the financial pressures and the staffing crisis we have faced in the last 12 months.' Picture: Conor McCabe 

Ireland’s childcare sector is being threatened by chronic staff shortages coupled with rising costs, warned one of the country’s main players in that space.

Tigers Childcare founder and CEO Karen Clince, who recently completed a €4m expansion into Cork, said that the cost of running a childcare centre has become increasingly challenging for many providers, primarily driven by wage inflation, as they battle to attract and retain qualified staff.