A staffing crisis in the childcare sector has seen a doubling in job vacancies and an explosion on rates for nannying and casual babysitting.

“Childcare is not well paid and that makes it hard for [employers] to compete for workers in a tight labour market,” Grattan Institute economic policy program director Brendan Coates said. “It’s pretty straightforward - if you want to compete to attract those workers, then you’re going to have to raise wages.”

According to the article, the going rate for nanny services is between $25-40 an hour in Sydney and as high as $45 for casual babysitting in the evening.

Would you re-consider entering the work force once or twice a week to babysit?