Employment Benefits and Retirement Savings Among Older U.S. Working Adults

S Porterfield, University of Missouri–St. Louis
P Stoddard-Dare, Cleveland State University
L DeRigne, Florida Atlantic University
L Quinn, Cleveland State University

Abstract

As the US population ages, more workers will be called upon to provide care for older relatives and friends, often during their prime earning years. The National Alliance for Caregiving reports that 70% of employed caregivers of both older adults and family members with disabilities adjusted their work to manage caregiving responsibilities leading, for some, to reduced wages and reduced retirement savings. This paper uses longitudinal data from the nationally-representative 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth for years 1994 through 2014 to examine the relationship between employment benefits (paid sick leave, paid vacation leave, and flexible work hours) and retirement savings over the life course among both male and female workers (ages 50–57 in 2014) who report a caregiving role. Among these older working caregivers, findings suggest that those with more paid vacation days and access to flexible work hours have higher retirement savings. Policy implications are discussed.