Working While Caring: Rosalynn Carter Institute Sounds Alarm on Behalf of Employed Family Caregivers

The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers (RCI) released Working While Caring: A National Survey of Caregiver Stress in the U.S. Workforce. The survey, conducted with Public Opinion Strategies, revealed that one-in-five full-time workers is a caregiver, providing care on a regular basis for a family member or friend who is aging, has a serious illness, or has a disability. Many must go to part-time status or quit altogether due to caregiving responsibilities.

Additional findings include:

  • At some point in time over the course of caring for their loved one, 44 percent of family caregivers who are employed full-time said they had to go part-time because of caring for their loved one.
  • At some point in time over the course of caring for their loved one, roughly two in 10 family caregivers who are employed full-time said they had to quit their job because of caring for their loved one.
  • The benefits employed family caregivers report using most or say they would have used if available are benefits not being offered by most employers:
    • Flexible scheduling
    • Remote work or telework
    • Reducing hours from full-time to part-time
    • Job sharing/reduced workload
    • Specialized caregiver services

Read more about this research among employed family caregivers here.

Public Opinion Strategies