Mother working with young child.
Lack of access to family costs employers an estimated $1 trillion annually in absenteeism and voluntary turnover, the 2025 Blueprint for Better Care Benefits Report from Helpr found. “There’s a care crisis in this country, and it’s putting incredible pressure on families and straining business operations,” said Kasey Edwards, CEO of the benefits provider.
Among the highlights of the report:
- Nearly half of all employees take time off for caregiving, and more than half consider quitting their jobs.
- Care benefits from employers can reduce absenteeism, with employees taking up to 16 fewer days off per year.
- Families spend almost 20% of their annual income on child care per child, forcing some parents to forgo employment.
- Eighty-six percent of working parents are more likely to stay with employers that offer care benefits.
- Non-desk, hourly and frontline workers face the greatest barriers to care.
- Fifty-one percent of the U.S. population lives in child care deserts, where there are not enough licensed or professional care options. This may force many working mothers to leave the workforce.
- Informal and family caregivers provide a $600 billion value to the economy.
- Retaining as few as 1% of eligible employees can pay the cost of care benefits.
- Every dollar spent on child care benefits provides employers with a net gain ranging from 90 cents to $4.25, which is a 425% return on investment.
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The report offered several recommendations to help workers as well as the employer’s bottom line. For example, holistic care benefits deliver the best results. Care programs must extend beyond child care to include elder care, self-care and support for diverse needs, such as neurodivergence and cultural caregiving practices. Recognizing and compensating informal caregivers with subsidized care for family members and friends creates inclusive, cost-effective and culturally relevant caregiving.
Accessibility and affordability are essential. Subsidized, hourly care rates, upfront payments and tech-enabled solutions are key to ensuring that care benefits meet the needs of frontline and hourly employees. Leveraging technology and rigorous booking adjudication processes boost accessibility and safety, and drive significant cost savings and fraud prevention for businesses.
Global care solutions are the future. As many workforces continue to be hybrid or remote and grow increasingly international, care benefits must support employees similarly regardless of location. Finally, care benefits should be embedded in equity strategies, addressing systemic barriers faced by low-income employees, families with special care needs and women.
“Families are juggling child and elder care responsibilities in communities where formal care isn’t always culturally practical,” Edwards said. “It’s time employers look to subsidized family care that offers accessible solutions for all employees and a benefit that contributes a strong ROI to employers, even as compared to lower hourly wage.”
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Alan Goforth
Alan Goforth is a freelance writer in suburban Kansas City. In addition to freelancing for several publications, he has written a dozen books about sports and other topics.
