製造業變身「育兒推手」

在美國愛荷華州的小城謝菲爾德（Sheffield），幾年前家長為了找到托兒服務，常得開車超過 30 英里。隨著當地托育中心在疫情後相繼倒閉，托育荒成為影響就業的現實問題。農業設備製造商 Sukup Manufacturing 的執行長助理 Emily Schmitt 表示：「我們的員工無法找到能照顧孩子的地方，導致許多人不得不離職。」

In the small town of Sheffield, Iowa, it was once common for parents to drive over 30 miles just to find child care. Following the pandemic, the closure of several daycare centers deepened the shortage, forcing many workers - especially women - to leave the labor market.

根據愛荷華州政府 2021 年的調查，全州約有 23% 的居民居住於「托育沙漠」（child care desert），即托育供應不足的地區；在農村，比例更高達 35%。

Emily Schmitt, Chief Administrative Officer at Sukup Manufacturing Co., said, “We were having issues of people not being able to stay employed in our Sheffield location because there wasn’t child care availability.”

According to a 2021 report from Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ Child Care Task Force, 23% of residents live in “child care deserts,” rising to 35% in rural communities.

企業出手：Sukup 攜手地方籌建托育中心 為解決人力流失與社區需求，Sukup 與西福克學區（West Fork School District）及 United Bank & Trust 聯手募資，在州政府 125 萬美元配套補助下，投入約 330 萬美元興建「Bin Town Child Care」中心。歷經一年施工，中心於 2024 年 11 月開幕，可容納 112 名幼兒，幾乎讓當地托育名額「增加三倍」。目前已招收 60 名孩童，其中約三分之一為 Sukup 員工子女。Schmitt 強調：「這不只是企業福利，而是整個社區的共同需要。」

Companies Filling the Gap Sukup, one of Sheffield’s largest employers with over 600 staff, partnered with the West Fork School District and United Bank & Trust to establish a new child care center. With $1.25 million in state matching grants, the partners invested roughly $3.3 million to build Bin Town Child Care, which opened in November 2024.

The center provides 112 child care spots - tripling Sheffield’s capacity - and currently serves 60 children, one-third of whom are from Sukup families. “This really is a community need, not just a company initiative,” Schmitt said.

大型製造商跟進：從 Toyota 到 Intel 汽車巨頭豐田（Toyota）與晶片製造商英特爾（Intel）也紛紛擴大托育合作，以提升員工留任率與職場文化。根據美國製造業協會（Manufacturing Institute）報告，近半受訪員工表示「彈性工作與托育支持」是他們願意留任的重要原因。

Toyota and Intel Join the Movement Major manufacturers such as Toyota and Intel are also investing in child care to boost employee retention and workplace wellbeing. A Manufacturing Institute survey found that nearly half of workers cite flexibility and family support as key reasons to stay with their employer.

Myriah Sweeney, General Manager for People and Property Services at Toyota North America, said that COVID-19 shifted employee priorities. Toyota’s review revealed severe shortages in Blue Springs, Mississippi - only seven centers, all full and uncertified.

豐田北美人資總經理 Myriah Sweeney 表示，疫情後員工對托育需求顯著上升，公司因此盤點各工廠周邊設施。調查顯示密西西比州藍泉（Blue Springs）地區僅有 7 家托育中心，且全數額滿、無國家認證。豐田最終決定在藍泉、北卡羅來納州 Liberty、阿拉巴馬州亨茨維爾及西維吉尼亞州布法羅等地設立 4 座新托育中心，總容量達 1,064 名兒童，其中兩座已啟用，預計 2027 年全數完工。

In response, Toyota is building four new centers across Blue Springs (MS), Liberty (NC), Huntsville (AL), and Buffalo (WV), with a total capacity of 1,064 children across two shifts. Two are already open, with the rest to launch by 2027. The automaker has also expanded its Princeton, Indiana, facility to accommodate 366 children and is considering enlarging its Georgetown, Kentucky, site.

此外，豐田也擴建印第安納州普林斯頓工廠的托育中心，可服務 366 名孩童，並考慮擴充肯塔基州喬治敦的設施。Sweeney 指出：「我們希望提供與輪班時間相符的彈性服務，包括夜班托育、睡眠空間與 24 小時照護，這是我們與眾不同的地方。」

Toyota’s centers are designed to operate around factory schedules, offering flexible hours, sleeping areas for night shifts, and 24-hour care. “We couldn’t find anyone else doing this at our scale,” Sweeney said.

矽谷企業加入戰局 英特爾去年宣布將擴大員工福利，試行托育補助、折扣與 24 小時備援托育中心，協助夜班與輪班人員。然而，隨著組織重整與裁員計畫推進，該公司的擴建時程尚未公布，但其托育支持方案仍維持運作。

Tech Sector Engagement In Silicon Valley, Intel is piloting expanded child care benefits, including subsidies, discounts, and 24/7 backup care centers. Despite restructuring and layoffs, the company confirmed that these benefits remain active.

從人才留任到社區永續 隨著托育成本上升、服務減少，越來越多製造業企業意識到，提供托育不僅是福利政策，更是維繫勞動力與地方經濟的基石。從愛荷華的家庭工廠到跨國製造巨頭，企業正親自填補托育體系的空白，為勞動市場的性別平等與社區發展開創新模式。

From Workforce Policy to Community Impact As child care costs rise and access dwindles, manufacturers are recognizing that supporting working families is not just a benefit - it’s an economic necessity. From family-owned factories in Iowa to global giants like Toyota, industry leaders are reimagining corporate responsibility through care infrastructure that strengthens both the workforce and the communities they serve.