Sajtóközlemény
27. March 2007
A new international workplace survey has found that more than a third of Hungarian parents would be prepared to take on more paid work if quality childcare was available.
A total of 38% of parents said they would work longer hours or be more productive at work if they could find quality childcare. Many of those who want to do more work are highly trained and want to resume their careers.
The Kelly Global Workforce Index sought the views of approximately 70,000 people in 28 countries including almost 1,000 in Hungary.
Reflicting the crucial role of childcare in the family, 95% of Hungarian respondents stated that childcare was important to them.
The biggest barrier to finding appropriate childcare was cost, cited by 32%, followed by quality of service, identified by 18%, waiting lists (7%), and travelling time (3%).
Younger parents were more concerned about the cost of childcare, while older parents were equally concerned with cost and quality of service.
“The survey shows there is a groundswell of people who would be more productive if only they could find adequate childcare,” said Anikó Jónás, managing director of Kelly Services Hungary Ltd.
There are distinct differences between the sexes in the way they view childcare. Interestingly, women were most concerned about the cost of childcare; men were more concerned about the quality of service than women.
The survey shows that typically women are the most burdened by a lack of suitable childcare, but there are also a surprising number of men who are affected. Some 49% of women say they would commence work or work longer if there were suitable childcare, compared with 22% of men.
Of those who would be prepared to do more work, a significant number are highly qualified, with 44% holding university qualifications.
“Finding the right childcare can be a daunting exercise for many who want to balance their family and working lives,” Anikó Jónás said.
“Many of those who want to engage more fully in the workplace are university educated or have had successful careers prior to having children, so they can be highly productive once they resume work.
“These people represent an important national resource. There has been considerable investment in their education and training but their real value is being lost to the community and the economy because of a lack of childcare opportunities.
“Employers can often help by providing family friendly workplaces, flexible hours or opportunities to work from home”.
The survey found that 36% all parents surveyed did not use childcare. A total of 47% used government-provided childcare, 4% used private childcare and 2% used government-subsidised private childcare.
Kelly Services, Inc. (Nasdaq: KELYA, KELYB) is a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Troy, Michigan (USA), offering staffing solutions that include temporary services, staff leasing, outsourcing, vendor on-site and full-time placement. Kelly operates in 30 countries and territories. Kelly provides employment for nearly 700,000 employees annually, with skills including office services, accounting, engineering, information technology, law, science, marketing, light industrial, education and health care. Revenue in 2005 was US$5.3 billion. Visit http://www.kellyservices.hu
_________________________________________________________________________________
Media contact:
Anikó Jónás
Managing Director
Tel: + 36 1 354 2772
E-mail: ajonas@kellyservices.hu