Scottish childminder numbers halve in a decade

Scottish Labour obtained the figures in response to a written question at Holyrood. The number of childminders dropped from just over 6,200 in December 2012 to 3,530 in December 2022. The figures were obtained by Scottish Labour from the Scottish Office for National Statistics. The government said it valued the role of childminders and was working to recruit and retain staff.

As of December last year there were 3,225 people working in the profession. Scottish Labour said the figures paint a worrying picture of the erosion of vital childcare services in our communities. Through this programme, we also want to help ensure childminders are better supported with their workloads. We expect this programme to launch in spring.

We want to safeguard the long term future of childminding in Scotland. 34;  “We want to make sure that the children we care for are well looked after.