Full Citation

Title: Spotlight: Care Workers and the New York City Economy

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2023

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Abstract: Care work is one of the fastest-growing components of New York City’s economy – but frequently one of the most neglected. The pandemic highlighted the importance of care workers to the city’s economy and families, but also caused a great deal of disruption. At the same time, the supply of care worker labor has been constricted, as some left their jobs due to heightened health risk, inadequate support, and higher-paying jobs in other sectors. This Spotlight takes a deep dive into the care economy in New York City. We examine who care workers are: overwhelmingly women, and on average significantly older, less white, and more likely to be immigrants than non-care workers. We explore recent trends in employment: the number of personal care aides grew significantly from 2019 to 2021, but the number of child care workers and preschool and kindergarten teachers declined. While care work is compensated at rates far lower than non-care work, public policy actions in recent years have shown the potential for meaningful impact. We document the change in wages by occupation and discuss ongoing policy advocacy efforts to bring more equity and more stability to the care economy.

Url: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/wp-content/uploads/documents/Spotlight-Care-Workers.pdf

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Authors: Vasilyev, Andre

Publisher: New York City Comptroller Bureau of Budget

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Gender, Health, Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Poverty and Welfare, Race and Ethnicity, Work, Family, and Time

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