Childcare is becoming so expensive for dual income families that in some cases it is cheaper for parents to work less, according to a new report by ABN Amro economists.

‘The difference between a day at work and a day at home has become so small that families are facing difficult decisions,’ economist Kasper Buiting told the Financieele Dagblad on Wednesday.

Dual income families with reasonably high salaries are picking up the bill for recent rule changes which require creches to have more leaders per group of children, ABN Amro says.

The maximum payable subsidy for daycare has gone up to €8.02 an hour this year but many creches, particularly in urban areas, charge more. And high earners receive no more than one third of the maximum subsidy, for up to 230 hours a month.

‘If parents can no longer pay the bill, then they have one option, to stay home and look after the children themselves,’ ABN Amro said.