ABSTRACT

This paper was to provide some implications for Korean care worker policy by reviewing the care worker policy strategies and achievements of the US while addressing the shortage of direct care workforce by aging population of the US. It began to experience great shortage of direct care workers in late 1990 and has developed and pursued a variety of policy strategies to address them. The strategies have aimed to expand participation of care workforce and to promote workforce retention. They expanded supply of care workers by developing new manpower pools, hiring family caregivers, and improving the public image of care workers. They promoted the retention of care workers by increasing wages and health insurance benefits, strengthening training and education, and developing promotion and career development systems. However, they focused on expanding only workforce supply, but not on strengthening education and training of care workers and developing promotion opportunities for the improvement of workforce quality. Thus, the shortage of direct care workers is getting more serious, and it would be more and more difficult in securing and maintaining stable care workers at long-term care sectors. Based on those experiences of the US, some policy strategies are suggested for securing and maintaining care workers in Korea. They are summarized as follows. First, wage increase and health insurance benefits should be expanded. Second, some strategies of creating new pools of care workforce and of activating their potential ability should be developed. Third, family care workers should be supported and recognized as a long-term care workforce and the family care worker system should be improved. Fourth, the promotion and career development system should be activated. Fifth, the education and training system of care workers should be strengthened at government level.