Press Release  Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development to Lead Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced today that the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) will lead the “Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition,” a public-private partnership of diverse business and worker advocates with a focus on elevating the needs of family caregivers as a talent attraction and retention strategy in Massachusetts. Secretary Jones of EOLWD made the announcement at a panel entitled, People, Caregiving and the Economy: How the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition brings it all together.

Today’s announcement marks a transition for the Coalition, first launched in 2019, to align with and build on the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s workforce agenda. The mission of the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition is to support and build creative solutions that allow family caregivers to continue to thrive in the workplace while also caring for family at home.

“Family caregivers are the backbone of our long-term care system, both nationally and in Massachusetts, and they play a pivotal role in our communities, workforce, and economy,” said Governor Maura Healey. “It’s vital that government, business, academia, and labor work together to provide and build supportive workplaces for our caregivers. Our administration is proud to take a leading role in the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition to advance this important work.”

“Caring for a loved one while also working full or part-time can have an impact on the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of the caregiver,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “With this transition, the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition will work with many partners to create, promote, and enable a support system for our family caregivers and reduce their burden to increase opportunities for our talent to thrive both at work and home.”

In Massachusetts, there are more than one million residents providing care to family, friends, and neighbors and who are critical to the health, safety, and emotional wellbeing of the state and nation. The Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition will promote and share best practices and resources to increase productivity for caregivers at work and home, attract untapped talent managing caregiving responsibilities, and retain existing talent navigating work-life balance in the workplace.

“As caregiving remains a critical infrastructure to attract and retain a strong workforce, we also have to acknowledge the many workers across all industries who take on the responsibility as a family caregiver,” said Secretary Lauren Jones of Labor and Workforce Development. “The Healey-Driscoll Administration looks forward to this next chapter of the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition as we promote best practices and share resources to support existing and future workers as caregivers in the workplace.”

“Over the past five years, MassTech has been convening the Caregiver Coalition to promote the needs of caregivers across our state and highlight the economic impact that caregiving can have on employers,” said Carolyn Kirk, CEO, MassTech. “While MassTech will continue to be an active public partner in the Coalition, having the leadership and reach of EOLWD will further elevate the needs of caregivers as a talent attraction and retention strategy in the state.”

Caregiving has been a focus area for the Healey-Driscoll Administration. In the recently released Massachusetts Workforce Agenda: Meeting the Moment to Attract, Retain, and Develop a Future Workforce, the Healey-Driscoll Administration highlighted the importance of supporting workers, including the cost of caregiving and a “whole-of-government” approach to caregiving.

In addition to transitioning leadership of the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition from the Massachusetts Tech Collaborative to EOLWD, the Administration’s efforts include cross-secretariat collaboration to ensure affordable, high-quality child care in Massachusetts, as outlined in an Executive Order signed by Governor Healey January 2024 and building a workforce to support both child care and senior care.

The Coalition aims to partner with, encourage, and challenge Massachusetts employers wherever they are in their progress of supporting employee caregivers by: Illuminating the needs of employee caregivers and their economic impact; Identifying, sharing, and leveraging best practices inclusive of all employer sizes, locations and types of workforce; Championing employee caregiver policies; and Enabling culture change for caregivers across all sectors of the economy.

In addition to EOLWD, other founding members of the Coalition include ARCHANGELS, Care.com, Cigna, EMD Serono, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech), Massachusetts Business Roundtable, and Careforth (aka Seniorlink).

“The Caregiver Coalition will serve as an engaging platform to help build awareness of existing caregiver resources, highlight employer best practices, and strengthen worker supports,” said Undersecretary Josh Cutler of Labor and Workforce Development. “We appreciate all the work that has gone into establishing and building the Coalition and now look forward to expanding on those efforts with this transition.”

Supportive Quotes 

“A key part of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s child care task force has been focused on strengthening the state’s early education and care workforce. I look forward to working with the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition under the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s leadership in support of accessible and affordable high-quality child care for all families across the Commonwealth,” said Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler. 

“We know how important it is for people to live their healthiest lives and because of this, we are proud to support the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition’s transition under the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. This coalition allows for two important things: providing support for caregivers and helping with our workforce challenges. I am grateful this coalition can connect people to resources that will help them provide the critical care their loved ones need, while supporting our Administration’s goals.” – Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh

“A strong caregiver support network is essential for attracting and retaining talent in Massachusetts and fostering a community where everyone can succeed. Our administration’s partnership with the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition will help provide workers with peace of mind to pursue long-term, fulfilling careers while knowing their families are in good hands.” - said Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao.

“Working caregivers are not only critical to the health of our families but they are also key to the health of our economy. Caregivers who are supported at work are more productive, engaged and loyal, all hallmarks of thriving workplaces. With this transition, we look forward to continuing our work with the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition to educate more employers across the Commonwealth about the powerful connection between care and work.” – Jill McNamara, General Manager of Senior Care, Care.com

“Our economy succeeds when our workers are supported, and this includes the millions of workers throughout the Commonwealth who serve as a family caregivers. By transitioning the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition under the leadership of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, we can accelerate and enhance the process to change the culture around caregiving and provide our employers with the tools necessary to support our workers and ensure respect and dignity in all work.” – Darlene Lombos, President, Greater Boston Labor Council

“One of the top issues facing Massachusetts employers is the inability to find talent to fill open jobs. Yet too many people face barriers to employment, creating a large pool of untapped talent. Caregiving responsibilities, including the high cost and inaccessibility of child care, is one of those barriers that is keeping too many workers on the sidelines and is the primary reason for the Roundtable’s role as a founding member of the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition (MCC).  By focusing on caregiving as a workforce recruitment and retention strategy, Secretary Jones is taking a thoughtful step to align workforce development and economic development and provide a path to employment that will benefit both workers and employers. The Roundtable is grateful to the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative for so successfully launching the MCC, to EOLWD for incorporating it into its work, and to the Healey-Driscoll administration for their collective and intentional focus on caregivers.” – JD Chesloff, President and CEO, Massachusetts Business Roundtable

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