UNPAID ELDER CAREGIVING AND LABOR MARKET OUTCOMES IN THE UNITED STATES, 2011 TO 2024
Author(s)
Mengyao Wang, BS1, Boshen Jiao, MPH, PhD2;
1Yale University, Department of Biostatistics, New Haven, CT, USA, 2University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
1Yale University, Department of Biostatistics, New Haven, CT, USA, 2University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
OBJECTIVES: Population aging and the policy shift toward home and community-based care increase reliance on unpaid elder caregivers, many of whom are working-age adults facing competing demands between paid work and caregiving. This study examines how unpaid elder caregiving is associated with labor market outcomes in the United States and whether these associations have changed from 2011 to 2024.
METHODS: We used repeated cross-sectional data from the American Time Use Survey linked to Current Population Survey labor measures. The analytic sample included adults aged 18 to 64 (N = 98,188), comprising 4,109 caregivers defined as respondents who provided unpaid eldercare during the 24-hour recall period. Outcomes were employment, not in the labor force, full-time work among those employed (usual hours at least 35 per week), and usual weekly hours among the employed. To construct controlled comparisons, the study applied survey-weighted propensity score weighting with interactions between survey year and covariates. Year-specific adjusted differences were estimated using survey-weighted regression.
RESULTS: Caregivers consistently showed lower labor market attachment than non-caregivers. Unadjusted comparisons indicated lower employment among caregivers over 14 years. After propensity score weighting, employment remained lower among caregivers, with adjusted gaps typically 5 to 12 percentage points across years (2013: caregivers 58.7% vs non-caregivers 70.1%; 2024: 65.9% vs 73.7%). Caregivers were also more likely to be out of the labor force, with adjusted differences generally 4 to 10 percentage points. Among employed respondents, differences in full-time work and usual weekly hours were smaller and less stable, with caregivers working about 0.5 to 2 fewer hours per week.
CONCLUSIONS: From 2011 to 2024, unpaid elder caregivers remained persistently less attached to the labor market than comparable non-caregivers. Policies that reduce work caregiving conflict, including leave options, flexible work, respite services, and financial recognition of caregiving roles, may help sustain both labor supply and informal care capacity.
METHODS: We used repeated cross-sectional data from the American Time Use Survey linked to Current Population Survey labor measures. The analytic sample included adults aged 18 to 64 (N = 98,188), comprising 4,109 caregivers defined as respondents who provided unpaid eldercare during the 24-hour recall period. Outcomes were employment, not in the labor force, full-time work among those employed (usual hours at least 35 per week), and usual weekly hours among the employed. To construct controlled comparisons, the study applied survey-weighted propensity score weighting with interactions between survey year and covariates. Year-specific adjusted differences were estimated using survey-weighted regression.
RESULTS: Caregivers consistently showed lower labor market attachment than non-caregivers. Unadjusted comparisons indicated lower employment among caregivers over 14 years. After propensity score weighting, employment remained lower among caregivers, with adjusted gaps typically 5 to 12 percentage points across years (2013: caregivers 58.7% vs non-caregivers 70.1%; 2024: 65.9% vs 73.7%). Caregivers were also more likely to be out of the labor force, with adjusted differences generally 4 to 10 percentage points. Among employed respondents, differences in full-time work and usual weekly hours were smaller and less stable, with caregivers working about 0.5 to 2 fewer hours per week.
CONCLUSIONS: From 2011 to 2024, unpaid elder caregivers remained persistently less attached to the labor market than comparable non-caregivers. Policies that reduce work caregiving conflict, including leave options, flexible work, respite services, and financial recognition of caregiving roles, may help sustain both labor supply and informal care capacity.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
EE99
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Work & Home Productivity - Indirect Costs
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas