42% of Working Caregivers Report Career Challenges – New SHRM Reports Highlight Critical Need for Workplace Support

ALEXANDRIA, VA – SHRM, the trusted authority on all things work, workers, and workplace, today unveiled two new reports, Care and Careers: Navigating Caregiving and Work Responsibilities and The Caregiving Imperative: Organizational Solutions for Supporting Caregivers and Elevating Business Performance, shedding light on the challenges faced by working caregivers and emphasizing the urgent need for workplace support.

The findings reveal caregiving responsibilities impact career growth for a staggering 42% of working caregivers surveyed, with challenges such as insufficient caregiving support, workplace stigma, and unpredictable interruptions to their work contributing to the difficulties they face.

An estimated 53 million family caregivers across the U.S. provide critical care to children, adults with chronic conditions, or elderly individuals. Strikingly, 61% of these caregivers simultaneously hold full- or part-time jobs, leading to difficult decisions and sacrifices that impact their professional development, financial stability, and overall well-being, according to AARP.

"Caregiving is no longer merely a personal responsibility—it has become a structural matter with significant implications for businesses and the workforce," said Emily M. Dickens, SHRM’s Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs & Corporate Secretary. "Business leaders and HR professionals are in a unique position to design benefit plans that meet the evolving needs of employees while cultivating compassionate and sustainable workplaces. Supporting caregivers is not just a gesture of kindness; it’s a vital strategy for promoting employee resilience, productivity, and loyalty. By recognizing this reality and prioritizing the well-being of caregivers, we demonstrate both empathy and a commitment to building resilient, committed workplaces. Offering employees the resources to care for ill, aging, or injured loved ones is a crucial investment in fostering a loyal and productive workforce."

The True Cost of Insufficient Caregiving Support

SHRM's research quantifies the toll caregiving takes both on individuals and the economy. Caregivers report unexpectedly missing an average of 1.2 workdays per month because their obligations are not adequately supported, translating into an estimated $17.5 billion in lost wages every month.

These challenges have real and immediate consequences for employers as well. In the past year alone, due to insufficient support, caregivers have had to reduce their working hours (28%), scale back their workload (21%), or changed jobs for more flexible opportunities (14%).

Some caregivers even turn to self-employment or halt retirement contributions to balance caregiving duties.

While many businesses offer short-term solutions, these measures are not sufficient for the 80–90% of caregivers surveyed who anticipate their responsibilities will last for the long term.

Key Findings:

• Most caregiving responsibilities are long term – 80% of caregivers surveyed report responsibilities lasting over a year. Yet, only 35% of HR professionals feel their organizations adequately address long-term needs, compared to 76% who focus on short-term needs.

• Care gaps persist: Nearly half of working caregivers say they lack consistent support for their caregiving duties—47% for children, 56% for adults, and 50% for elders.

• Stigma in the workplace: 1 in 5 working caregivers (20%) have been treated poorly at work because of their caregiving responsibilities, and 22% say there is a negative stigma around being a caregiver at their organization.

• Future demand: Over the next five years, 18% of working caregivers anticipate taking on new or additional caregiving responsibilities for elders, 21% for children, and 14% for other adults. Further, 13% of workers surveyed who are not currently caregivers anticipate taking on elder caregiving responsibilities in the next 5 years.

• Unemployed caregivers seek workforce reentry: 57% of unemployed caregivers surveyed plan to enter or re-renter the workforce , underscoring the importance of inclusive hiring practices.

Methodology:

A sample of 1,470 U.S. HR professionals, 3,042 working caregivers, 1,249 unemployed caregivers, and 1,543 workers without caregiving responsibilities were surveyed from September to October 2024.  The study was conducted to understand the current and future needs of workers with caregiving responsibilities. It examined the impact that being a working caregiver has on personal outcomes, such as career decisions and well-being as well as the impact that being a working caregiver has on organizational outcomes.

About SHRM

SHRM is a member-driven catalyst for creating better workplaces where people and businesses thrive together. As the trusted authority on all things work, SHRM is the foremost expert, researcher, advocate, and thought leader on issues and innovations impacting today’s evolving workplaces.  With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM touches the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally. Discover more at SHRM.org.