The Intersection of Care and Employment

Transcription

1 The Intersection of Care and Employment Janet Fast 1, Donna Dosman 2, Donna Lero 3 Research on Aging, Policies, & Practice (RAPP) Dept. of Human Ecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB Canada T6G 2N

2 Caregiving and Employment Most caregivers are employed; most work full time Competing demands risk of negative employment consequences negative economic consequences for caregivers and their families Negative consequences for employers, labour market and economy 2of 16

3 Caring episodes v. caring careers Evidence is mainly point in time But caregiving may: have multiple episodes of varying duration occur at different stages of the life course have different patterns (e.g. stability, steady escalation, decline, periodic or cyclical crises) 3of 16 These trajectories influence the nature, timing & flow of care demands & consequences

4 Objectives Examine the relationship between caregiving episodes and labour force participation All caregiving episodes (across the life course) Current labour force participation Employment history (limited) Personal & family history 4

5 Data Sample of 23,404 respondents age 45+ to 2007 Statistics Canada General Social Survey (GSS) on Family, Social Support & Retirement 13,481 women; 9,986 men Random Digit Dialing; telephone interviews 5of 16

6 Analyses: Care History Descriptive statistics Logistic and Poisson regressions Dependent variables: ever provided care; # of care episodes; total duration of care Independent variables: socio demographics (age, education, age at completion of education immigrant status); employment history (ever employed; age last employed); family history (# unions; age at first union; # children ever born) All analyses split by gender 6of 16

7 Analyses: Labour Force Status Descriptive statistics 7of 16 Logistic and OLS regressions Dependent variables: labour force participation; usual hours of paid work Independent variables: socio demographics (age, education, income, marital status, parental status, health status, immigrant status); labour market conditions (province, urban/rural, unemployment rate) current caregiving characteristics (disability type; weekly care hours; co residence with receiver); care history (# of care episodes in life course, total duration of care episodes) All analyses split by gender

8 Who are employed caregivers? 2.3 million employed caregivers age % of all caregivers are employed; most (79% of women; 90% of men) full time 37% of employed women; 28% of employed men age 45+ 8

9 Who are employed caregivers? 9

10 Caring episodes v. caring careers % M 3 M Care Episodes over Respondent s Life Course Mean # episodes Women Men Provided care last 12 months Women Ever provided care Men Range Mean duration 10 yrs 10 yrs 10 of 16

11 Those significantly more likely to have ever provided care Women Were late middle aged Were better educated Have been employed at some time in their lives Completed their education later Were Canadian born Men Were late middle aged Were better educated Have been employed at some time in their lives Were Canadian born compared to those who never provided care 11 of 16

12 Those reporting significantly more care episodes Women Were late middle aged Were better educated Have been employed at some time in their lives Completed their education later Are Canadian born Men Were better educated Were younger at time of first union Were Canadian born 12 of 16

13 Employment consequences of current caregiving (last 12 months) 13

14 Few differences in current LFP rates by caregiver status 14

15 Those significantly less likely to be employed Women Were older Had children < 15 at home Earned less Were in poorer health Were immigrants Men Were older Earned less Were in poorer health 15 of 16

16 Those reporting significantly fewer hours of employment Women Were older Were unmarried Earned more Were in poorer health Lived in BC Lived in a suburban area Had provided more care during their lives Men Were older 16 of 16

17 Implications Caregiving is a more normative experience than it seems in cross section Caregiving is a more gendered experience than it seems in cross section Age and education increase risk of involvement in care + extent of involvement Longevity + cohort effect Resource effect? 17 of 16

18 Implications Care history unrelated to current LFP But both # of care episodes and total duration of care over life course negatively related to hours of work Economic implications for caregivers Implications for employers and labour force sustainability 18 of 16

19 Next steps Microsimulation (Life Paths) to: Monetize economic consequences of labour force impact (lost wages & benefits) Model impact of possible policy initiatives Extending CCB CPP caregiving dropout 19 of 16

20 Contact Research on Aging, Policies, & Practice (RAPP) Room 3 02 Human Ecology Bldg. University of Alberta Edmonton AB CANADA T6G 2N1 Thanks to Population Change & Life Course Cluster for travel support 20 of 16