BY BENJAMIN BALK, KINDICARE

NOVEMBER 8, 2022

A nationwide shortage of up 20,000 early childhood educators has prompted childcare comparison platform KindiCare to launch a new jobs marketplace to address the problems in recruitment.

Launched on 1 November, KindiCare Jobs will offer an innovative new digital job search and recruitment platform developed in collaboration with 10 of the country’s largest early childhood education providers.

Together the groups account for more than 163,000 child care places nationwide in 2,028 locations right across Australia.

Despite a sustained recruitment drive by childcare providers, the record number of job vacancies in the early learning sector has barely budged over the past two years with many organisations losing employees as quickly as they are hiring due to staff burnout and ineffective job search and recruitment processes.

KindiCare Founder and CEO Benjamin Balk says the situation has become critical for providers, workers and parents unable to book children for the desired number of days to meet their working commitments. This is having a severe impact on Australia’s economy with families and businesses missing out as early learning centres are forced to operate below capacity.

“Providers are struggling to recruit the talent they need to operate their centres at full capacity and it’s clear that the traditional model of job search and recruitment is not working,” says Mr Balk.

“KindiCare Jobs is a marketplace that only allows real employers on board, not recruiters or agencies who are seeking candidates who they can sell to an organisation that they have arrangements with.

“Just as we simplified the search for quality early education and care for families when we launched the KindiCare comparison website and app, we are now simplifying the job search journey for job seekers and employers.

“We offer complete transparency and an opportunity for the early learning sector to engage and recruit directly with pre-qualified candidates whose profiles and preferences are a match for the role they have advertised. They also don’t have to worry about potential candidates being intercepted by recruiters.

“We have consulted widely with the major early learning groups and educators to tailor KindiCare Jobs, eliminating the pain points and including features that make the process completely transparent, resulting in a better match-up of the right talent to the right workplace and the right employer.

“Time and resources are being wasted under the current model and the educator shortage is not improving. Increased Federal Government funding won’t help the economy or families if they can’t book a spot for their children.”

KindiCare Jobs offers unparalleled transparency, with features that operate a little like Tinder – swipe right if your profile is a match for an advertised position.

Mr Balk says current employment sites provide insufficient information to job seekers about the exact location of the workplace or centre, pay rates, role description, required qualifications and certifications as well as non-financial benefits such as discounted childcare and career support.

“It might not make a difference to someone on $200,000 a year but if you’re on an award wage and discover after applying that the job involves a long car trip or there is no public transport, the extra $10 a day and travel time to get to work makes it unviable,” says Mr Balk.

From an employer perspective, where competition to attract staff is fierce, KindiCare Jobs provides a platform where they can present their best self to prospective candidates, showcasing what they offer as an employer and the environment they will be working in.

“Workforce shortages have led many providers in the early learning sector to really up their game with a range of benefits to attract and retain the best talent,” says Mr Balk.

“KindiCare Jobs gives them a platform to promote the financial and non-financial benefits but it also demands a high level of transparency, making it easier for candidates to find a match and assess whether they want to apply.”

Kathryn Hutchins, Chief People and Quality Officer with Only About Children says the worker shortage is a sector wide issue with the pressure leading to staff burnout and a level of churn never seen before.

“We have a few issues exacerbating the problem,” says Ms Hutchins. “There is a national sector-wide shortage of qualified Educators, exacerbated by the reduction in overseas talent (who left Australia and haven’t returned) and also a reduction in individuals who are starting and completing a qualification in the ECEC sector.

“That puts the pressure back on our existing staff and is leading to higher turnover than we have ever experienced in the sector and within our own organisation.”

OAC is operating with 9 per cent of positions vacant or a deficit of around 250 educators across its 75 early learning centres in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

“We are better off than many,” says Ms Hutchins. “We have a large recruitment team however they may need to make 100 calls to get three qualified candidates. You have to sift through a lot of applications from people not qualified for the role whereas our ideal would be to get a candidate who is a good fit for the job and have a conversation about the generous benefits and quality of education and care we offer.

“If we can recruit via a platform that is going to deliver candidates matched to the role, we can take the pressure off the floor and focus on retention and recognition.

“What KindiCare Jobs provides is a place where we can tell our story so it comes to life in a way that it resonates with our target candidates. We want to put our best foot forward so that people who share our passion for early education want to work here.”

Busy Bees Early Learning CEO Robert Hughes says the critical jobs and skills shortage in the sector was behind its decision to invest in one of the country’s leading vocational training providers.

“Our investment in Australian Child Care Career Options will help to deliver high quality candidates to the ECEC sector benefiting educators, children, providers and the sector at large,” says Mr Hughes.

“KindiCare jobs provides a platform to build awareness of the many ways we are supporting educators and supporting career development of educators through the qualification and certification process and the long-term rewarding career options available to those looking to enter the early learning sector.”KindiCare Jobs does not permit recruiters or agencies on the site and requires employers to specify details that are critical to job seekers such as the exact location of the workplace, starting wage and required qualifications. Employers are able to paint a full picture of the brand’s education philosophy and values and also present the range of benefits and incentives, from discounted child care to support for education and career development.

The business model also differs significantly from other job search platforms, as employers only pay when they hire a successful candidate, not for simply advertising a job. This model will reduce the advertising cost of hiring new employees.

“We are charging per conversion or hire not for each job listing like the existing jobs marketplaces in Australia,” says Mr Balk. “By applying a recruitment agency price model without the search fee employers will pay less and have a field of quality candidates prequalified for the role through their digital profile. As with parents looking for childcare, we want to provide quality candidates, not quantity, which is the focus of the existing job marketplaces which currently own the market.”

KindiCare Jobs Main Features

• Only Real Jobs from Real Companies - no recruiters, labour hire companies or job agencies meaning job seekers know when applying who their information is going to and the company and centre they will be working for if they are successful.
• Personalised Job Feed - actively match job seekers with job opportunities showing jobs that are relevant to the job seeker’s profile, qualifications and experience so job seekers will no longer have to trawl through text heavy job listings for their next role.
• Workplace Transparency - every job advertised on the KindiCare Jobs marketplace is linked to the exact location of the centre or workplace for the role being advertised. Job seekers for the first time can also view jobs in a map view showing the job opportunities that are closest to them as well as transport and commuting options.
• Pay Transparency – every job advertised must show at least the starting wage to ensure that, when applying, the candidate knows exactly what they will earn at a minimum to prevent a mismatch later in the recruitment process.
• Employer Transparency – every job advertised must show both the employer who is recruiting as well as the childcare brand so that job seekers can make an informed choice about who they are applying to.
• Industry Specific Content – information, advice and resources to help job seekers in the early learning sector understand career pathways, training and development opportunities and scholarships, plus information helpful to their daily work in the early childhood education and care sector.
• An Industry Employment Data Standard (IEDS) – role types, employment benefits, job features and requirements are all configured for each job listing against the same industry standard to enable job seekers to be matched to job listings automatically.