Yousaf pledges cash to boost childcare workforce

First Minister Humza Yousaf has hailed Scotland’s “great progress” towards gender equality, as he said cash for childcare would help tackle some of the “barriers” women can still face.

Mr Yousaf pledged the government would provide £16 million of cash for nurseries, so that childcare workers can be paid at least £12 an hour from April. He spoke out about the impact a lack of affordable childcare can have on women's careers, as he said the Scottish Government was “prioritising additional investment of £16 million in Scotland’s childcare workforce”.

Announcing the funding during a visit to a Glasgow nursery on International Women’s Day, the First Minister said he was “proud” the majority of members of his cabinet are female, and that he had appointed the first woman of colour to the Scottish Government, with Kaukab Stewart serving as culture, Europe and international development minister.

“We have made great progress to prioritise and accelerate gender equality across our country,” he said.

“We rightly no longer question what women can accomplish but we should always question whether we are doing enough to remove barriers that too many women in our society continue to face.

“Evidence shows that a lack of affordable and accessible childcarefor many women with children will result in too many women leaving the workforce, working part-time or taking up work in inflexible employment which pays less and doesn't make best use of their skills. That is why my government is prioritising additional investment of £16 min Scotland' s childcare workforce.”