--- title: Employment of Child Care Workers Has Steadily Declined description: Employment of Child Care Workers Has Steadily Declined image: https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/hubfs/6-2-2022.png --- [![Child Care Aware of Missouri Logo](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Child%20Care%20Aware%20Logo%20(1).png?width=666&height=414&name=Child%20Care%20Aware%20Logo%20(1).png "Child Care Aware of Missouri Logo")](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication) Open main menu Close main menu [Community Data](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/tag/community-data) # Employment of Child Care Workers Has Steadily Declined [Child Care Aware® of Missouri](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/author/child-care-aware-of-missouri) [Share this blog post via Email](mailto:?subject=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3EEmployment+of+Child+Care+Workers+Has+Steadily+Declined%3C%2Fspan%3E&body=I+found+this+interesting+blog+post%3A+https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/cd-employment-of-child-care-workers-has-steadily-declined) [Share this blog post on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/cd-employment-of-child-care-workers-has-steadily-declined) [Share this blog post on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/cd-employment-of-child-care-workers-has-steadily-declined) ![Employment of Child Care Workers Has Steadily Declined](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/hubfs/6-2-2022.png) Excerpt from a post by The Center for Law and Social Policy Employment of child care workers has steadily declined since 2011, a trend exacerbated by the pandemic By: Jessica Milli While the late 1990s and 2000s ushered in a significant increase in the employment of child care workers\[1\] of 79 percent, from about 353,000 in 1997 to 631,000 in 2011, employment peaked in 2011 and has seen a slow decline since then. By 2019, employment had dropped by 11 percent compared with 2011 (Figure 1). The pandemic only accelerated these trends with the closure of child care programs across the country. Between 2019 and 2020 alone, employment of child care workers decreased by 67,000 (12 percent; Figure 1). And according to recent jobs reports, the child care workforce is still more than 10 percent below its pre-pandemic levels.\[2\] This is particularly troubling not just because overall employment across sectors is only about 2 percent below its pre-pandemic levels but also because of the huge unmet need for affordable and accessible child care among parents. Figure 1. Total Employment of Child Care Workers by Year, 1997-2021 ![Screenshot 2022-06-03 9.53.47 AM](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202022-06-03%209.53.47%20AM.png?width=671&name=Screenshot%202022-06-03%209.53.47%20AM.png) *Source: Why Investing in Child Care Providers is Essential for Providers, Children, and Families.* (n.d.). CLASP. Retrieved May 16, 2022, from*[https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/why-investing-in-child-care-providers-is-essential-for-providers-children-and-families/?utm\_medium=email&utm\_source=email\_link&utm\_content=baby\_monitor\_05122022&utm\_campaign=Q3\_2022\_Policy+Center\_Resources](https://www.clasp.org/publications/report/brief/why-investing-in-child-care-providers-is-essential-for-providers-children-and-families/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=email_link&utm_content=baby_monitor_05122022&utm_campaign=Q3_2022_Policy+Center_Resources)*   *Find the right answers to your business challenges with our in-house Data & Analysis Services.* *Our comprehensive data analytic services include child care, demographic, economic, and social data to help your business grow. We offer customized data reports, analysis, and geographic mapping to interpret and visualize data. 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