Rising childcare costs 'keeping parents from returning to work', report suggests 14 Apr 2023A report carried out by recruitment firm Indeed Flex has suggested that rising childcare costs are keeping mothers from returning to the workplace. In the 2023 Spring Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced an expansion of the 30 hours free childcare initiative to children over the age of nine months. The report found that one third of working mothers spend over 30% of their wages on childcare. Two in five mothers polled said that the government's free childcare expansion will be enough to allow them to go back to work. However, a similar sized proportion of mothers believe that childcare costs are still too high, despite additional government help. Novo Constare, Chief Executive of Indeed Flex, said: 'Nursery and childminder costs can swallow a huge chunk of new parents' earnings, and with the current cost-of-living crisis squeezing every household's budget, it's no surprise that some women are put off going back to work. 'It is encouraging that the government recognises the childcare dilemma facing working parents. Nevertheless, many women still feel the measures announced in the Budget don't go far enough.'