Child care costs in the U.S. have increased by 32% from 2019 to 2023, while access to child care has declined from 17.7% to 22.2%. Despite this, the National Federation of Independent Business reported that small-business owners rank child care as their 66th concern out of 75 issues. Only 7% view it as critical, with 40% seeing it as a non-issue. Health insurance remains the primary concern. The perceptions differ for businesses with younger employees or high turnover, and some studies indicate child care issues affect labor mobility, with many job switchers citing it as a motivator.
"For some employers, they're able to work around child care issues fairly easily, accommodate scheduling conflicts - [so it doesn't rise] to the level of issues, for instance, like the cost of health insurance."
"29% of job switchers identified a lack of child care benefits as their top motivation in looking for another job..."
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