2012年-CEPS欧洲政策研究中心_Impact_of_Long_31页_258kb

Summary of The Impact of Long-Term Care on Caregivers' Participation in the Labour Market

Core Content

This research report investigates how long-term care (LTC) affects the participation of informal caregivers in the labour market. It uses the Eurostat ECHP dataset (1994–2001) to analyze the relationship between caregiving and work constraints, taking into account the endogeneity issue between care-giving and labour market participation. The study focuses on individuals who perceive their work activity is hindered by their caregiving responsibilities, including those who are not working but would like to be.

Main Findings

Impact of Care-Giving on Labour Market Participation

• Care intensity: The probability of being constrained in paid work increases by 0.9% for each additional hour of care-giving, starting from 15 hours.
• Co-habitation: Providing care to adults living in the same household reduces the probability of constraints by about 3%.
• Part-time workers: Those in part-time jobs have a 17% higher probability of experiencing constraints compared to full-time workers.
• Non-workers: Housewives report stronger constraints than the unemployed.
• Dual care-giving: Individuals who care for both children and adults have a 15% higher probability of being constrained.

Country Differences

• The study estimates the probability of being constrained in four representative countries: the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Spain, based on ANCIEN WP1's cluster analysis.
• The gender gap in care-giving varies significantly between countries:
  • In the UK, the percentage of women caregivers is 24% higher than men.
  • In Greece and Spain, the gap is around 300%.
  • In Portugal, the gap is 527%.
• Mediterranean countries (e.g., Italy, Greece, Spain) show the highest disparities between women and men in informal care provision.
• Germany has the lowest prevalence of informal care (around 2.7%), likely due to its mandatory long-term care insurance system introduced in 1995.

Care-Giving Patterns

• Age distribution: Caregivers are most commonly found in the 45–60 years age group, followed by those over 60.
• Activity status: A significantly higher proportion of non-working individuals provide informal care compared to working individuals (see Table 3).
• Care location: A large proportion of informal caregivers in Southern European countries and Ireland/Austria provide care within the household (over 50%), while in other countries, care is more often provided outside the home.

Key Variables and Methodology

• Two main variables are used to assess constraints:
  1. Binary variable indicating whether care-giving prevents individuals from undertaking the amount or kind of paid work they otherwise would.
  2. A variable capturing different types of constraints, such as stopping a job, not seeking work, or working less than full time due to care-giving.
• The study uses a Heckman 2-stage estimation procedure to adjust for sample selection bias.
• A probit model is applied to estimate the probability of being constrained, considering both pooled data and country-specific data.

Policy Implications

• LTC policies have labor market implications, particularly for women, who bear the majority of care responsibilities.
• Public LTC services, cash transfers, and immigration policies can influence the availability of formal care and thus impact informal caregivers' ability to work.
• Country-specific care models (e.g., family care, state responsibility, subsidiary) affect the intensity and nature of care-giving, which in turn influences labour participation and work conditions.
• The double burden of care and work is more pronounced in certain countries, especially in Southern Europe and Ireland, where informal care is more prevalent and often within the household.

Conclusion

The report confirms that care-giving responsibilities significantly constrain informal caregivers' participation in the labour market, with the impact varying by care intensity, co-habitation, employment status, and country-specific care systems. The findings highlight the importance of targeted LTC policies to support caregivers and reduce the negative impact on their employment and working conditions.