Carers@Work

A Strategy for Securing Sustainable Future Care and Productivity Potentials in an Ageing Society

A European Comparison

Annette Franke Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany &

Monika Reichert, TU Dortmund, Germany

Social policies for working carers in the EU

11th IFA Global Conference on Ageing

Carers@WorkContents

1. Comparing welfare state regimes / care regimes

2. Country specific policy legislation

3. Specific policy measures for working carers

4. Communications and legislation at EU level

5. Conclusions

Carers@Work

1.

Comparing welfare states and care regimes

Carers@Work

Country differences: Care regimes (European Commission, 1999)

Continental Europe Bismarck-oriented: universal insurance schemes, unrelated to income or means;

Northern Europe Beveridge-oriented: Services are funded out of general taxation and though univesally defined, they are to a large extent, means-tested of income related;

Mediterranean: families are still the main source of source of support;

Central-Eastern European: families are still main source of support;

Carers@Work

Country differences: Care regimes (Crompton, 1999; Yeandle, 1999)

Dual-earner/marketized-female-domestic-economy-model

Dual-earner/marketized-female-domestic-economy-model

Male breadwinner/female carer model

Male breadwinner/female carer model

Carers@Work

Country differences: Family care (Mestheneos & Triantafillou, 2005)

high social expectations to provide care, increasing formal recognition, ambivalent

low social expectations to provide care, increasing formal recognition

high social expectations to provide care, increasing formal recognition

high social expectation to provide care, no formal recognition

Carers@Work

Country differences: Care providers

Family and professional care services

Family and professional care services

Family (low level of care infrastructure)

Family (low level of care infrastructure)

Carers@Work

2.

Country specific

social policy legislation

Carers@Work

Country differences: Important Health Care Policy regarding the reconciliation of work and

(elder)care

Long-term Care Insurance; Nursing Care Act;

Family Care Act

Community Care Act

State Care Allowance

Act on Social Care

Carers@Work

Country differences: Important Employment related Policy regarding the reconciliation of

work and (elder)care

- Working time flexibility and working time reduction in

German collective bargaining- Legal framework concerning part-time work and temporary work- General Equal Treatment Act

- Employment Relations Act,

- Work Life Balance in a Changing World,

- Equal Opportunities Act

Carers@Work

Country differences: Important Employment related Policy regarding the reconciliation of

work and (elder)care

- National collective agreement for flexible working time or working accounts,

- Regulation on part-time work according to the EU-Directive,

- Three days paid leave per month (Act 104/1992); in addition: two years of unpaid care leave to assist dependent relatives (Act 53/2000)

- Two weeks leave for family carers (limited to contracted employers – which exclude self-employed);

Carers@Work

Country differences: Company measures regarding the reconciliation of work and

eldercare

Some measures to reconcile work and eldercare

In comparison with other European Countries many measures to reconcile work and eldercare

Very few measures to reconcile work and eldercare

No measures to reconcile work and eldercare

Carers@Work

3.

Specific policy measures

for working carers

Carers@Work

Access to care services (personal care)

Family responsible, but assisted by public provision or private provision publicly paid for through Long-term care insurance - but does not cover all expenses

Individual responsibility; predominantly private care provision + privately paid for; public provision based on means-testing

Family responsible for care management, widely delivered by migrant care worker

Family responsible – only limited formal services (poor quality or expensive)

Carers@Work

Care leave

Up to 10 days unpaid care leave for sorting out crises; otherwise up to 6 months unpaid leave

NEW legislation: reduce working hours to 50% at 75% earnings for 2 years next 2 years work 100% at 75% earnings

Up to 6 months unpaid leave

Paid care leave up to 3 days per month, funded by central government

None

Carers@Work

Cash benefits for working carers

Substantial through LTCI, but not covering all expenses

Available for those most in need, means-tested, modest amounts

Substantial through state care allowance, but not covering all expenses

Very little support for those most in need, means-tested, even more modest amounts

Carers@Work

4.

Communications and legislation at EU level

Carers@Work

Of growing importance on the EU policy agenda.

BUT mostly subsumed under terms of gender equality, working conditions (e.g., part-time, types of leave) or social inclusion.

Special needs of employed caregivers are often overlooked, because informal carers had often been seen as full-time carers, e.g. retired persons.

Activities on the EU-level

Carers@Work

Examples for EU-Legislation

„Treaty of Lisbon“ followed by the „EU 2020“ Strategy

„Action under this priority will require modernising, strengthening our employment education and training policies and social protection systems by increasing labour participation and reducing structural unemployment, as well as raising corporate social responsibility among the business community. Access to childcare facilities and care for other dependents will be important in this respect.“ (European Commission, 2010: 18)

Carers@Work2012 „European Year of Active Ageing and

Solidarity between the Generation“

Carers@Work

Managing demographic challenges through better reconciliation of

work and family life

Conclusions of the Council of the European Union and the representatives of the governments of the Member States

Ministers call on member states to take demographic challenges into account in their national programmes, to promote options that help combine professional and family life.

[…]“development of care systems for dependent persons, including childcare and long-term care, which support women and men at different stages of their lives and in the advancement of their careers (life course approach);

Carers@Work

Examples for EU-Legislation

„Work-life balance policies with the provision of affordable care and innovation in the manner in which work is organised should be geared to raising employment rates, particularly among young people, older workers and women“ (Employment Guidelines, 2010).

Communication “A better work-life balance: stronger support for reconciling professional private and family life (COM(2008)635 final).

Carers@Work

Examples for EU-Legislation European Innovation Partnership on Healthy and Active Ageing, Report from the Social Partners “Reconciliation of professional,

private and family life”, 2008 Ageing Report, 2009 Demography Report, 2008 Communication “Promoting solidarity between the generations”,

2007 European Commission's roadmap for equality between women and

men 2006-2010 (from 2006) followed by the Strategy for equality between women and men 2010-2015

Green Paper "Confronting Demographic Change: a new solidarity between the generations", 2005

Directive on the organisation of working time, 2003

Carers@Work

5.

Conclusions

Carers@Work

The state and it‘s policy is of most importance in determining how individuals reconcile work and eldercare.

Especially the aspect of care responsibilities for older workers has not been given much attention in the past and the special needs of employed caregivers are often overlooked, because informal carers had often been seen as full-time carers, e.g. retired persons.

Working carers are more or less involved as implicit issue, as subsumed under terms of care in general, gender equality, working conditions (e.g., part-time, types of leave) or social inclusion, even when concrete actions are not suitable attended.

Conclusions

Carers@Work

Thank you!

www.carersatwork.tu-dortmund.de