Workers with care responsibilities
The interactions between employment and caring are becoming increasingly important in the face of demographic ageing in Europe. Sustainability of long-term care systems requires an extensive contribution from informal carers, while labour market requirements and contemporary lifestyles and aspirations encourage increased participation of women - the traditional providers of the larger share of informal care - in the labour force. Already, a sizeable proportion of the workforce (both men and women) must balance their paid employment with caring responsibilities, and vice versa, and this looks set to increase considerably over the coming years. An added factor is the expectation of a longer working life as retirement ages seem set to rise across the EU. A multipronged approach is needed to address the challenges in this area, including:
- suitably organised community and homecare services to support dependent persons and their working carers
- income support and other flexicurity measures
- rights and regulations in the employment field
- practical measures that can be implemented by employers
This database highlights some 50 company initiatives that support workers with dependent-care responsibilities in 10 Member States. The research was carried out during 2009-2010.
Browse case studies:
Advanced search for case studies
The options on the form below allow you to restrict your search to case studies from a particular country or by some other criteria. If you leave the form unchanged, the search will cover all case studies.