The care economy and decent work: Scenarios and recommendations for Latin America and the Caribbean. Investment Scenarios for Care Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean

The present document analyses progress and challenges in care policies in Latin America and the Caribbean, identifying factors that are crucial for effective access of all people with respect to time to care, as well as care services, benefits and entitlements. To estimate possible scenarios for expanding these policies based on each country’s characteristics, the document presents different scenarios for investment in life cycle-based care policies, to ascertain their costs, social and economic benefits and potential to reduce gender gaps. In making these estimations, the ILO Care Policy Investment Simulator was applied across 23 countries in the region, with coverage updated in collaboration with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). This simulation tool calculates the public investment required for various domains of care policies, along with the expected effects in terms of employment, income and tax revenue. It also uses information from the ILO Global Care Policy Portal, and from the ECLAC Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean.