The labor shortage is the most critical and difficult challenge in early childhood education.
Pilke employs over 2,600 professionals, and we are proud to be seen as an attractive employer — we receive thousands of job applications each year, which we greatly appreciate.
At the same time, solving the labor shortage requires strong, sector-wide efforts to increase the overall appeal of early childhood education. We cannot solve this challenge alone, but we are committed to doing our part.
Pilke is working to address the situation through several key actions:
- Strengthening our appeal as an employer by increasing opportunities for staff to influence their work, offering clear professional development paths within the company, and providing training and career growth opportunities.
- Developing new ways to support staff well-being. For example, in 2023, we introduced extensive occupational health care and launched our own staff well-being program.
- Investing in high-quality, consistent leadership across the company through training and development initiatives.
- Leveraging our national and international presence through our owner Dibber to offer employees opportunities to move into new roles in different cities or even in other countries.
- Exploring and testing new solutions to the labor shortage. For example, we’ve participated in projects aimed at recruiting international early childhood professionals to work in our daycare centers.
- Advocating for more training opportunities and alternative pathways into the profession, including conversion training programs to bring new talent into the field.