Working while Caregiving

Navigating the dual responsibilities of paid employment and caregiving presents significant challenges for millions of Americans. The intersection of these two demanding roles often requires careful balancing of time, energy, and resources, with implications for both caregivers’ economic security and their ability to provide quality care.

This section offers insight into how caregivers manage employment alongside their caregiving duties and the workplace supports available to them. Understanding these realities is essential for developing effective workplace policies and broader social supports that recognize the vital contributions of caregivers while preserving their ability to remain in the workforce.

Seventy percent of working-age caregivers, ages 18 to 64, worked while also caregiving, as shown in figure 26. A small share of caregivers ages 65 and older also engaged in paid employment, bringing the total share of all working caregivers to 60 percent.⁸ The proportion of all family caregivers who work is higher among African American/Black family caregivers (66 percent) compared with all family caregivers (57 percent) and among LGBTQ+ caregivers (66 percent) compared with non-LGBTQ+ family caregivers (59 percent). More employed caregivers are paid hourly (53 percent) than salaried (40 percent), in line with the type of employment family caregivers reported in 2020. Rural caregivers less often work full time. Rural caregivers are less often salaried workers (32 percent compared with 39 percent of urban caregivers and 44 percent of suburban caregivers). Male family caregivers more frequently work while also providing care (48 percent compared with 40 percent), and they more often are salaried (47 percent compared with 38 percent). More female family caregivers who work are hourly employees (55 percent compared with 47 percent of male family caregivers).

Working family caregivers take on many of the same caregiving tasks as nonworking caregivers, with some slight differences. Working caregivers are less likely to help with medical and nursing tasks (50 percent) than family caregivers who do not work (61 percent). However, working family caregivers do more coordination with health care providers (HCPs), such as communicating with HCPs (67 percent compared with 58 percent of nonworking family caregivers) or advocating for their recipient with HCPs (66 percent compared with 48 percent of nonworking family caregivers)— tasks that often must be done during traditional work hours.

Both the public and private sectors recognize the needs of family caregivers. Support for employed family caregivers has evolved significantly in recent years, with 13 states and the District of Columbia offering paid family leave programs. The COVID-19 pandemic (which occurred after data collection for the 2020 study and became endemic before the 2025 data collection period) also spurred employers to offer flexible work hours and teleworking or remote work, benefits most caregivers report as being helpful to them (Pabilonia and Redmond 2024; Cobbe et al. 2024). Access to caregiver-friendly work benefits is increasing, with every benefit more commonly reported by working family caregivers in 2025 than in 2020.

However, access to these benefits is not distributed equally to all workers. A greater share of salaried, working family caregivers has access to all six caregiver-friendly workplace benefits measured in this study than hourly earning caregivers. The starkest differences in access are for telecommuting options (58 percent salaried compared with 23 percent hourly); paid family leave (60 percent salaried compared with 35 percent hourly); paid sick leave (78 percent salaried compared with 55 percent hourly); and information, referrals, counseling, or an employee assistance program (43 percent salaried compared with 27 percent hourly).

Caregivers may not feel comfortable telling their workplace about their caregiving role, which could be a barrier to accessing benefits. Among employed caregivers who are not self-employed, about half report that their supervisor at work is aware of their caregiving responsibility (49 percent). Rural caregivers more often say their supervisor is aware of their caregiving responsibilities (56 percent compared with 49 percent of urban caregivers and 47 percent of suburban caregivers).

Although caregiver-friendly workplace benefits are more common, they do not fully meet the needs of family caregivers, as many working caregivers report work impacts. Going in late, leaving early, or taking time off to provide care is the most common work impact, reported by nearly 5 in 10 caregivers (see figure 29).

More working family caregivers report feeling alone (25 percent) compared with their nonworking counterparts (21 percent), and they experience a variety of financial impacts as a result of caregiving
compared with nonworking family caregivers. They report taking on more debt (22 percent compared with 17 percent), using up short-term savings (31 percent compared with 20 percent), leaving bills unpaid or paying them late (19 percent compared with 17 percent), using up long-term savings (17 percent compared with 13 percent), and moving to a less expensive home (9 percent compared with 6 percent). Among working family caregivers, just 10 percent report feeling that their responsibilities as a caregiver led to them being penalized or discriminated against at work.⁹