Making It Work Better:Presentation

on Work Family Issues

Partnering with unions to put families first. www.working-families.org

CHILD CARE

What’s happening in families today?

Three-quarters of all children under age 5 who have working parents are in some type of child care.

One in ten children aged 6-12 are alone or with a sibling under age 13 during the summer.

Partnering with unions to put families first. www.working-families.org

CHILD CARE & INCOME

Low income families spend more.Low income families spend 14% of their earnings on child care while higher income families spend 7%.

High income families have greater access to quality or standard child care.Children from higher income families much more likely to be in center-based care, while children in lower income families are more likely to be cared for by a relative.

Chart 1: Child care

costs for low

income families

14%

86%

Chart 2: Child care

costs for high

income families

7%

93%

Partnering with unions to put families first. www.working-families.org

Did you know that 23 million Americans care for elderly relatives?

Elder care costs families more than $659,000 over a lifetime in lost wages, social security and pension contributions.

$567,000 in lost wages.

$67,000 in retirement contributions.

$25,000 in social security benefits.

Source: MetLife “Juggling Act Study 1999”

ELDER CARE

Partnering with unions to put families first. www.working-families.org

84% of all workers/caregivers make adjustments to their work schedules…

Taking sick leave or vacation time

Decreasing scheduled work hours

Taking leaves of absence

Switching from full time to part-time work

Resigning or retiring.Source: MetLife “Juggling Act Study 1999.”

WORK TIME

Partnering with unions to put families first. www.working-families.org

WORK TIME

More than 1/3 of working women with partners or spouses work different shifts than their partner/spouse.

80% of men work more than 40 hours a week.

Men and women who work overtime average an additional 6.63 hours a week.

Partnering with unions to put families first. www.working-families.org

FAMILY LEAVE

47% of workers in the US have no paid sick time.

86 million workers do not have paid sick time that they can use to care for a sick child.

34% of parents reported that caring for their sick child led to difficulties at work.

84% of workers say it is important to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Partnering with unions to put families first. www.working-families.org

High Turnover – people leave jobs because they are caregivers

Higher Education & Training Costs – associated with high turnover

Time Lost - to additional phone calls, partial absenteeism when employee deals with crisis (about 3 days per year)

Caregivers average 6 days absence per year due to caregiving responsibilities

Partnering with unions to put families first. www.working-families.org

Why should work and family benefitsbe important to employers?

Supporting work and family initiatives brings positive return on investments for unions and employers.

Any funds spent by the employer to help with caregiving have a payback to the employer of 2.5 to 5 times the cost. Source: Pfizer, 1997

Partnering with unions to put families first. www.working-families.org

Baby Boomers 77 million

Generation X 44 million

Generation Y 60 million

Who is going to take care of you?

Partnering with unions to put families first. www.working-families.org

CAREGIVERS PROFILE

Typical caregiver is a married woman in her mid-40s who works full-time.

Just over half of all caregivers are employed full-time.

12% are employed part-time, and 16% are retired

The average caregiver provides 18 hours of care a week.

Partnering with unions to put families first. www.working-families.org

Almost one in five caregivers provide either “constant care” or at least 40 hours of care a week.

Many caregivers will spend as many or more years caring for aging relatives as they spent caring for their own children.

Partnering with unions to put families first. www.working-families.org

More than half of employed caregivers have modified their work schedules or made other accommodations to their jobs in order to meet caregiving responsibilities.

One-fifth of caregivers have quit their jobs permanently or temporarily.

Partnering with unions to put families first. www.working-families.org

Are you ready for caregiving?

Can you make it work?

www.working-families.orgPartnering with unions to put families first.