[Exclusive] Chronic Shortage of Childcare Support Service: 11,600 Households Waiting, Up 20% in One Year

Waiting Households Concentrated in North Gyeongsang, Gyeonggi, and Seoul at 69.6%

Applications Up 31.7%

Childcare Providers Increase by Only 7%

The number of households on the waiting list for the government's 'Childcare Support Service' has surpassed 10,000, even after applying for the service but being unable to use it. This is due to a severe shortage of childcarers compared to demand. Although the revision of the Childcare Support Act last year paved the way for private caregivers to participate, there are concerns that the policy has not been felt in practice, resulting in persistent long waiting times and gaps in care.

According to data received by Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Hankyu's office from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on June 22, the number of households nationwide on the waiting list for the childcare support service last year was 11,645, a 22.3% increase from 9,519 in 2024.

By region, North Gyeongsang Province had the highest number with 3,167 households, followed by Gyeonggi Province (2,812 households) and Seoul (2,124 households). The combined waiting households in North Gyeongsang, Gyeonggi, and Seoul totaled 8,103, accounting for 69.6% of the total nationwide waiting households in these three regions.

The problem is that the scale of the waiting list is not decreasing but is instead increasing.

In North Gyeongsang Province, the number of households on the waiting list increased by 25.5% (643 households) in one year. Gyeonggi Province saw a 22.9% increase (524 households), and Seoul a 17.3% increase (313 households). Except for Busan (-13.4%), Daegu (-42.4%), and Daejeon (-14.0%), all other districts nationwide saw increases in waiting households. In terms of growth rate, Gwangju (179.6%), South Chungcheong (145.2%), North Chungcheong (137.5%), and Sejong (96.4%) stood out. This suggests that the pace of supply has not kept up with the rapid increase in demand.

The Childcare Support Service is a government program that dispatches childcarers to homes with children under the age of 12 to care for children in families with a care gap. Although the Childcare Support Act was enacted in 2012 and the program was implemented, the ongoing issue of securing enough childcarers has resulted in a persistent supply shortage. In response, the government has been gradually expanding support since 2018, but it has not been enough to meet demand.

Last year, 183,794 households applied for the Childcare Support Service, but there were only 31,718 active childcarers nationwide.

The gap between the pace of increase in demand and supply was clear. The number of households applying for the Childcare Support Service increased by 31.7% (44,286 households), but the number of childcarers increased by only 7.03% (2,083 people).

While demand continued to grow at a double-digit rate, supply only increased by a single-digit rate, perpetuating and worsening the waiting issue.

Over the past six years, the average number of waiting days for the Childcare Support Service has increased fivefold. It rose from 8.3 days in 2020 to 19.0 days in 2021, 27.8 days in 2022, and 33.0 days in 2023. Although it appeared to decrease to 32.8 days in 2024, last year it lengthened again to 39.4 days. Industry insiders explain that considering the specific time slots and care conditions parents want, the actual perceived waiting time is even longer. In some regions, families reportedly wait over a year.

To address the increasing demand for care and the waiting list problem, the government is not only working to expand public services but is also establishing a management system for the private care market.

In accordance with the revision of the Childcare Support Act in April last year, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has implemented the 'National Childcarer Qualification System' and the 'Private Childcare Service Provider Registration System' from April 23 of this year. The aim is to enhance the professionalism and trustworthiness of childcarers through the national qualification system, and to increase supply by bringing private caregivers into the official system through the registration system for private providers.

However, there are concerns on the ground that simply implementing the system is not enough to expand private participation; additional financial support and incentives must also be provided. An official from a private childcare company stated, "Participating in the private registration system incurs extra costs for verifying and managing affiliated caregivers, as well as liability insurance premiums," and added, "Since these increased costs can lead to higher service fees, concrete support measures such as government subsidies must be introduced."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.