Abstract
[This is an excerpt.] Direct care workers are a critical foundation of the U.S. health care system and represent a substantial share of total employees in the nation’s economy. Every day, some 3.5 million direct care workers go to work in residential care settings and homes to provide care for some of society’s most vulnerable members—people who are older,live with disabilities, or have complex medical needs. Despite the importance of direct care workers to our nation’s health and economy, however, direct care work remains undervalued and poorly compensated. Low pay, combined with difficult working conditions, leads to chronic staffing shortages in the direct care field. As a result, productivity and quality of care are lower than they could or should be. Low pay also contributes to financial instability for direct care workers, their families, and the communities in which they live. Using publicly available data and standard economic simulation techniques, this report offers a glimpse into a different world—one in which direct care workers are paid at least a living wage. A living wage is one that would enable a full-time worker to pay for their family’s basic housing, food, transportation, and health care needs out of their own earnings, without the need to rely on public assistance. [To read more, click View Resource.]
This resource is found in our Actionable Strategies for Government: Fair and Meaningful Reward & Recognition (Strengthen Worker Compensation and Benefits).
