Care-Arbeit: Exklusive Berechnungen: Pflege von Angehörigen bindet Arbeitskraft im Wert von bis zu 22 Milliarden Euro
Millionen Menschen in Deutschland pflegen ihre Angehörigen. Sie reduzieren dafür ihre Arbeitszeit oder geben ihren Job komplett auf. Was die Bundesregierung plant und Ökonomen jetzt fordern.
Caring for family members can consume the labor force of up to 22 billion euros in Germany, according to exclusive calculations by an RWI economist. The research, conducted by Niklas Isaak, highlights the significant impact of unpaid caregiving on the workforce and the economy. Nearly two-thirds of German caregivers are women, and the expense is now recognized as a crucial economic factor.
With seven million people caring for family members, the lack of available labor is becoming a growing problem for the country. In the previous year, there were approximately 60,000 vacant care positions, which the Handelsblatt reports could add 0.25 to 0.5 percent to Germany's economic output if fully utilized. This potential contribution is valued between 11 and 22 billion euros annually.
Additionally, the state could benefit from an extra 3.5 to 5 billion euros in tax and social insurance revenue. The findings are based on a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation, which revealed that roughly 184,000 full-time positions are lost due to caregiving responsibilities. However, Isaak emphasized that this is just an upper limit, and the potential cannot be fully exploited.
The economist assumes that these alternative workers would be as productive and receive similar wages as other employees, but this may not always be the case.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
