AS per OECD's new report, the spending on long-term care in OECD countries is set to double, even triple, by 2050, driven by ageing populations. Governments need to make their long-term care policies more affordable and provide better support for family carers and professionals, according to the report.

The Report states that half of all people who need long-term care are over 80 years old. And the share of the population in this age group in OECD countries will reach nearly one in ten by 2050, up sharply from one in 25 in 2010. This percentage will reach 17% in Japan and 15% in Germany by 2050.

Spending on long-term care, which now accounts for 1.5% of GDP on average across the OECD, will rise accordingly. Sweden and the Netherlands today spend the most, at 3.5% and 3.6% respectively of GDP, while Portugal (0.1%), the Czech Republic (0.2%) and the Slovak Republic (0.2%) spend the least.

Major reforms to attract more care workers and retain them in the sector should be put in place quickly. Most long-term care careers are dead-end jobs with a high turnover and low pay and benefits, says the OECD. And caring for others comes at a price: caregivers are less likely to have a job than the average person and, if they do, it’s more likely to be part-time with fewer hours. They also face an increased risk of poverty and are more likely to suffer from mental health problems.

To meet future demand, countries will also need to attract more migrants who already make up a substantial part of long-term care workers in many OECD countries: from around one in four in Australia, the UK and the US, for example, to one in two in Austria, Greece, Israel and Italy.

In many countries, migrants are paid less than native-born workers, despite often being more qualified. One proposal would be to extend work permits to care workers in immigration quotas, as happens in Australia and Canada. Offering education and training, especially language skills, would also help.