Care workers: Spain needs up to 639,400 more by 2030

Spain may need between 261,400 and 639,400 extra long-term care workers by 2030. The estimate from the Ministry of Social Rights comes as care-sector employers’ association AESTE launches a campaign to highlight professional carers’ work. The campaign, called Cuidar es futuro — Caring is the future — was announced in Madrid on 14 September.

AESTE president Lourdes Rivera said good care for older people depends on trained staff doing demanding, human work. She said those workers must be valued now if care is to be available in the future.

Demand for care is rising

The number of people receiving an effective benefit through Spain’s System for Autonomy and Dependency Care reached a record 1,655,446 in March, according to AESTE.

The association also points to an ageing population. People aged 65 and over are expected to rise from 21.1% of Spain’s population to 30.9% in the coming decades.

AESTE says recognising care work is not simply symbolic. It argues that better recognition is needed to ensure enough qualified people are available for those who need care.

Weekly videos put carers in focus

Under the campaign, AESTE will release weekly videos featuring professionals from different organisations, services and job roles. They will speak about the difficulties they face and what providing care means to them.

The employers’ group says carers face a lack of recognition, an underfunded system and rigid public-contracting rules. It says these pressures restrict the ability to improve pay in jobs it calls essential.

AESTE also warns that procedures for recognising qualifications and accrediting skills delay qualified workers from joining the sector. Its secretary general, Josune Méndez, said social recognition must be matched by sufficient funding, attractive career paths and faster skills-accreditation procedures.

Topics: Social affairs · Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com