Who are these people that the government want to get back to work?

[MissHoneysHappyEnding]

As in, the workers who they hope will come back because of free childcare.
I don't know many mums that don't go back to work straight away.
The few I have met feel strongly about being at home and I don't think free hours would change that.
The ones (two) I have met who left jobs and would like to return but can't afford childcare are in healthcare and hospitality where regular shifts don't fit in with nursery opening times anyway.
Tbh and only in my opinion, a lot of the 'we can't afford childcare so I had to give up my job' crew are often told that by controlling DH/ DPs or don't really want to go back to work anyway. Happy to be proved wrong!

You said childcare would cost £2k and you say with the promotion your own earnings were on the cusp of exceeding the threshold as an individual, so somewhere approaching £100k? You'd be in the region of £4k per month better off working, not a few hundred.

I'm not questioning your choice, by the way, more just thinking you'd be very significantly better off even if paying for childcare.

@Aposterhasnoname I was asking for examples not saying that I couldn't conceive of it. There has always been help for people on low incomes to return to work, I got tax credits when I had 2 under 2. Yes I still had to pay childcare but it was a help. People on good incomes have more reasons to return, and often the ones who don't feel strongly that they should be at home, in my experience. I don't know how many people there are in the middle (like your dd) who will make the decision to return to the workplace based purely on this policy.

@Kabalagala

The idea that people can't afford to work but can afford to lose 1 whole wage never makes sense to me.

We couldn't afford childcare either.

So we worked round each other. We both slightly reduced our hours and split the childcare between us

We definitely couldn't have afforded to lose either wage and neither of us would have been willing to give up work anyway

I actually used the excuse of not being able to afford childcare (it is true, partner was going to stay at home and I was going back to work as I earned more),I am very convinced that children are best at home with their mother until the age of three.
I had to say that it was a cost thing because I felt that people would judge me for wanting to be a full time mother.

I also knew that other women would take offence because they felt differently, I didn’t want to make others feel bad.

Motherhood is the only thing that has ever made me truly happy and fulfilled. I should be able to carry out my biological role without criticism and being made to feel guilty.

The government can back off because I did everything I was told a woman should do to be happy, worked my entire adult life and became a mother late, and all I have to show for it is my beautiful child.

My husband has two jobs and we are still struggling due to the way the country has been destroyed by government over an extended period.

I will not sell my child to the corporate machine. I have paid my dues when I was working and will take a few years out of work, thanks!

@Botw1 I agreed. Funny how it's nearly always the women's wage they choose to do without too.

I think it’s health care, nurses, carers, and other services. Like,police, teachers, then child care workers etc

Surely any retirees who are willing and able to go back to the workplace would have done so through their own volition without ~desperate pleas~ encouragement from government? There probably won't even be a state retirement age when I'm in my late 60s, but I sure as hell don't resent anyone who retires as soon as they can. Similarly, I hope that by the time my children have kids (if they choose to) the childcare system will be much better for them. Not least because I'll be too busy working to help out 😄

Mainly the over 50s, who don't have children at home.
People who, perhaps, are currently finding it too easy to stay "off sick"?

This.

Pre-Brexit vote there were loads of warnings about the labour and fresh produce shortages that leaving the EU would cause. Boris and Gove scoffed and shouted “Project Fear!” Now that the Brexit transition arrangements are finally ending, its all rather sucky, and the government is looking for any distraction. Let’s say the labour shortage was caused by women selfishly staying home to look after children 🙄 not the huge number of EU seasonal workers who don’t come anymore.

I'm probably one of them. I'm 36 and struggle to find work because we have no holiday clubs where I live.

We used to have loads but all were cancelled in the pandemic and not restarted.

I had to leave my job last summer due to not having any help from family or friends for my DC who are year 5 and year 6.

So that's me. Unemployed and actively seeking a role that gives a little flexibility but there aren't any. Even the local County Council who have a FULL webpage dedicated to flexibility refuse any WFH, part time etc (I've had to turn down 2 roles because they were advertised as flexible but not actually flexible!)

Our local school has after school clubs but these are cancelled each week with usually 1 hours notice.

So my hand is up. I LOVE working but just can't find anything flexible and no holiday provision. DH and I would ideally split is 50:50 but his job isn't flexible either.

Grandparents won't help.

@CascaChan

Willing to sell your oh though eh? 😉

You don't have to lie. No one cares.

Although I'm not sure what happens at 3 to prevent children being eaten by the corporate machine. Or why mum is better than dad

People also forget that parents have to find childcare for 13 plus weeks of the year whilst the children are not at school as well , the problems don't really end once they start school for the under 12s.
Even longer holidays for any children at a private school.
Not everyone has other people to help them out or family round the corner. You can't leave a small child at home and often clubs are expensive or few and far between or quickly fill up. It's ok if your teacher , or work in a school but even they might need childcare in the holidays too at times.
This new initiative is only for votes and doesn't address other issues about affordable childcare for school age children

Yes this is what its designed for. It will be presented as support for the squeezed middle and 'hard working families' yada yada yada.

What it actually is I think is a way to pre empt new rules I suspect which will limit benefits for those working less than full time hours

With the reasoning 'well you have free child care'

Sorry mine are Year 4 and Year 5. 😂

@Architectahoy I'm really sorry for your situation but I don't think this will help you either. This is where the funding should go. Ideally mothers who return straight from maternity build up enough rapport with employers for the shiteness of school holidays, unreliable childcare provisions etc. From my observations, it's only about half of mums in the playground who took time out after Mat leave who ever return to full time employment. Maybe this is to catch these workers earlier?

Well some over 50s are providing child care for grandchildren so there may well be a push for those children to be in nursery provision so release the older people too

Its duplicitous

It would have helped me massively. Although I stayed in work after the second it’s been massively stressful and financially difficult because of childcare. It means we have very little left over for any discretionary spending although me and my husband both work.

i can fully see all the pitfalls with nursery staff shortages etc, but on an economic level, surely putting some of that money back into the pockets of parents will help to stimulate the economy?

Central to that will be a package of measures to try to shift parents, the sick, disabled and older workers back into jobs.

From sky news

I’ve yet to see a budget where I have benefitted. So will be looking at the whole budget before saying it is a good thing or bad. There has already been leaks about getting people not in work be they over 50, disabled, parents etc to attend more work coach interviews and changes to UC to ‘encourage’ people back to work. Like many homes ours is made up of one full time shift worker, a full time carer and two people with disabilities, one an adult. So will be interesting to see what they do this time

But you aren't their target. The money is ultimately wasted on you because you have returned and would have paid childcare.

This is meant to tempt people who weren't planning on returning.

Anyway it is ridiculous, round here there are hardly any nurseries/CM.

I think the government actually want woman to start having more babies in the first place, again. Declining birth rate, ageing population etc.

It is never really about what is right for women when the large majority of politicians are men.

I think loads left with work during pandemic and many haven’t gone back yet

But with cc my sector typically lost loads of women over 30 due to cc costs.

I'll wait to see when the budget is released, but I find that whenever the tories give with one hand they take with the other. I doubt this will be any different

Working when DD was in nursery was easy, school was a nightmare.
School offered no wraparound care. Almost no childminders came to our school (lots of parents didn’t work, used GP, extended family support).
Holidays were a shitshow. All summer clubs are football or drama, both a total nightmare for DD.
the ones we found would run a few days and start at 9.30 and be over mid afternoon. I worked 30 minutes away. So still a days holiday.

The reasons I had a 5 year career break when my DC were small were not financial.
And if/when I finish work it will be because I can afford to so won’t be tempted back by money