70% Of Educators Work An Average Of 9 Hours Of Unpaid Work Each Week

Australia’s early childhood educators are facing a silent crisis—one marked by systemic wage theft, escalating burnout, and compromised quality of care. A groundbreaking study from the University of Sydney has pulled back the curtain on the realities educators navigate daily, revealing that over 70% are working an average of 7–9 unpaid hours per week. This is more than just a pay gap—it's an ethical fault line.

Non-Contact Duties: The Hidden Workload

The study sheds light on the disproportionate demands of non-contact time—including administrative tasks, cleaning, and parent updates. These hours consume roughly 40% of total work time when unpaid hours are included, leaving educators with only 2.5 hours per day for meaningful engagement with children. It’s an impossible ask: deliver quality care while shouldering an invisible load.

Educator Penny*, working for a not-for-profit service, described the pressure to manage lesson planning in her own time due to rising enrolments. “Stress affects my work, even when I try not to show it,” she shared.

Safety Risks and Staffing Shortfalls

Compounding the issue is the growing reliance on casual educators, often unfamiliar with the children in their care. This disrupts relationship-based learning and raises serious safety risks. “If I was there, the accident might’ve been avoided,” Penny noted after a staffing change led to a child injury.

These insights echo sector-wide concerns about ratio accountability, especially when casual staff are used to plug compliance gaps rather than support children's well-being.

Advocacy Imperative

Carolyn Smith of the United Workers Union highlights the root cause: "Educators are being exploited for the care they have for children." Their intrinsic motivation is leveraged by a system that rewards resilience with neglect.

Dr. Erin Harper calls for a national stocktake of educator tasks, advocating for a realistic staffing model based on actual workload—not theoretical ratios. It’s a position echoed by many sector leaders, including those pushing to close loopholes like “under the roof” staffing counts.

Government Response & Gaps

Minister Jess Walsh acknowledged the crisis, citing a 15% pay increase and a 25% drop in job vacancies as signs of sector recovery. Yet, these efforts must be paired with reforms addressing day-to-day realities—like transparency in non-contact allocation, fair pay for planning time, and safeguarding measures that prioritize children and staff alike.

Further Reading 

77% Of Educators Report Their Centres Are Operating Below Minimum Staffing
A Broken System: Regulatory Documents Reveal Widespread Failure
Major Changes to Safety and Quality in NSW Early Childhood Education
Rising Vulnerabilities: What the 2024 AEDC Data Means for Early Childhood

Reference:
Widespread Wage Theft Across Childcare Sector and Pressure On Overworked Staff, Research Reveals