Care work: Exclusive calculations: caring for relatives ties up workforce worth up to 22 billion euros
Millions of people in Germany care for their relatives. They reduce their working hours or give up their job completely. What the federal government is planning and what economists are now calling for.
In Germany, approximately 7 million people care for relatives, with women making up almost two-thirds of caregivers. A study by RWI economist Niklas Isaak estimates that if caregivers' time were available for the workforce, Germany's economic output could increase by 0.25-0.5%, equivalent to 11-22 billion euros per year. The study also suggests that the government could gain 3.5-5 billion euros in tax and social security revenues annually.
However, experts note that these numbers are an upper limit and that the actual effects may be smaller, as caregivers may not be able to easily re-enter the workforce or achieve the same productivity and wages as other employees.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
