Labour market and informal care-giving

Client/Funding Institution

European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Abstract

Under the FWC Social Situation Monitor, two Research Notes will be developed on informal long-term care and labour market transitions over the life course. i) Labour market consequences of informal long-term care and external support in the EU: Evidence from the CARE survey. This Research Note examines informal long-term caregiving across the EU and its impact on carers’ labour market participation. Based on the CARE 2024 survey, it analyses how formal care services help carers, particularly women and older individuals, reconcile employment and caregiving, providing evidence for EU policies on long-term care and gender equality. ii) Labour market transitions over the life course and later-life employment outcomes: Evidence from SHARE and SHARELIFE data. This Research Note analyses how labour market transitions before age 50 affect employment outcomes after age 50. Using SHARE and SHARELIFE data, it examines the effects of career interruptions, unemployment, inactivity and job mobility on employment, wages, part-time work and occupational mobility, informing EU policies on longer working lives.

Duration

February 2026 - December 2026

wiiw team Leader

Sandra M. Leitner

wiiw Staff

Magdalena Höllhuber, Sandra M. Leitner, Sebastian Leitner, Marina Tverdostup

Project Partners

ICF S.A. Belgien

Keywords: Informal long-term care, Caregiving, Labour market participation, Formal care services, CARE survey, Gender equality, Social policy, Labour market transitions, Life-course perspective, Later-life employment, SHARE, SHARELIFE, Career interruptions, Unemployment, Job mobility, Employment outcomes, Wages, Occupational mobility, Longer working lives, Population ageing, EU labour market policy

Countries covered: EU

Research Areas: Labour, Migration and Income Distribution

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