The stories about frontline worker struggling during the pandemic – sleeping in their cars, hitchhiking to work, going without food—have been all too common in the past several months. To improve economic security for direct care workers, PHI suggests the following:
- Pay direct care workers a living wage.
- Improve access to full-time schedules for direct car workers.
- Strengthen the social safety net and improve access to workplace benefits for direct care workers.
- Evaluate the unintended impact of wage increase measures on direct care workers, their employers, and consumers.
PHI states, “Policymakers should evaluate the impact of policies that increase wages on direct care workers’ total compensation, the financial stability of employers, and consumers’ service hours—and devise strategies to address any unintended negative effects.
