Nearly One-Third of Direct-Care Jobs Will Be Held by
Older Women – Boomers, Seniors
PHI
President Steven Dawson Speaks About Direct-Care Workers at the
Brookings Institution - click to start video
‘Older women are increasingly providing frontline
services and supports for frail elders and people with disabilities’
March 17, 2010 - Older women aged 55 and older –
baby boomers and senior citizens - are projected to become 30 percent of
the nation’s direct-care workforce by 2018 - up from 22 percent in just
ten years, according a recent analysis of employment demographics for
direct-care workers by Paraprofessional Health Institute (PHI). These
workers today earn an average of about $10 per hour.
By 2018, 1.2 million direct-care workers are
expected to be women aged 55 and over.
The significant increase in older direct-care
workers (nursing home assistants, home health aides, and personal and
home care aides) is anticipated in part because the workforce overall is
growing dramatically - from 3.2 million to 4.3 million workers.
Older women in particular are expected to be more
prevalent in the direct-care workforce because the nation’s entire
workforce is aging.
“Older women are increasingly providing frontline
services and supports for frail elders and people with disabilities to
live independently and with dignity,” said PHI President Steven Dawson,
who will report on older direct-care workers today, at the National
Council on Aging/American Society on Aging’s
joint conference in Chicago.
“National and state policymakers must work together
to ensure that direct-care jobs, which are primarily funded through
public dollars, are quality jobs that attract a stable, compassionate
workforce,” said Dawson.
“Without these workers, families will not be
able to provide the support elders need to live independently and to
continue to enjoy the relationships and activities that give their lives
meaning.”
In 2008, the median hourly wage for all direct-care
workers was $10.42, which is significantly less than $15.57, the median
wage for all U.S. workers. Without competitive wages, the older women
who are filling these positions today are likely to look elsewhere for
employment.
Direct-care workers, who are 90 percent female,
tend to be older than females in the nation’s overall workforce — 22
percent of direct-care workers were aged 55+ in 2008 compared to 18
percent for the overall female workforce. An even greater proportion
(28.1 percent) of personal and home care aides were aged 55 or older in
2008.
The projections were made by Dorie Seavey, Ph.D.,
director of policy research at PHI, by analyzing data from the U.S.
Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), 2009 Annual Social and
Economic (ASEC) Supplement, and applying the information to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics Employment Projections Program, 2008-18 National
Employment Matrix.
PHI (www.phinational.org)
says it works to improve the lives of people who need home and
residential care—and the lives of the workers who provide that care.
Using our workplace and policy expertise, we help consumers, workers,
employers, and policymakers improve eldercare and disability services by
creating quality direct-care jobs. Our goal is to ensure caring, stable
relationships between consumers and workers, so that both may live with
dignity, respect, and independence.
