The fifth Early Childhood Education and Care National Workforce Census took place in 2024.
On this page:
Key findings
Workforce
Children
About this report
The 2024 National Workforce Census provides a national overview of the early childhood education and care workforce.
It collected information about:
- staff
- service usage
- children with additional needs
- access to preschool programs.
The 2024 National Workforce Census builds on the results of earlier censuses and provides a useful picture of the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector over time.
Read the 2024 National Workforce Census Report
Explore the 2024 National Workforce Census Interactive Dashboard
Guide to using the 2024 National Workforce Census Interactive Dashboard
Download the 2024 National Workforce Census National data tables
Download the 2024 National Workforce Census Regional data tables
Detailed findings
These key findings represent a snapshot of the ECEC sector during the reference week of the National Workforce Census (NWC).
The self-reported data is from:
- 97% of CCS services, and
- 67% of dedicated preschools nationally (excluding Western Australian dedicated preschools who did not participate in the 2024 NWC).
Workers
268,050 workers at ECEC services.
173,738 paid contact staff held a qualification in an ECEC field.
91.2% of the ECEC workforce was female.
Children
1,491,240 children aged 0 to 12 attended CCS-approved services. This is not a count of individual children, as children are not identified in NWC data and may attend more than one ECEC service.
4.4% of all children attending CCS-approved services were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
19.3% of all children attending CCS-approved services spoke a language other than English (LOTE) at home (or had parents/guardians who spoke a language other than English).