Hi there—I’m Maria Hollenhorst , taking over today for newsletter editor Tony Wagner, who’s on a much-needed vacation. 

As a producer for “Marketplace,” I’m obsessed with the makeup of the U.S. labor force — that includes anyone in the U.S. who either has a job or is actively looking for a job. Last month, it included nearly 170 million people. 

But right now, the group of people leaving the labor force — voluntarily or not — is growing. Today, we’re telling their stories. — Maria Hollenhorst, senior field producer

After her mother was diagnosed with vascular dementia, Kipper Hendrick quit her job, sold her apartment, and moved in with her parents. Twenty years later, she’s still a full-time caregiver. 

The U.S. population is aging. More than 11,000 people are turning 65 every year now, driving demand for caregivers like Hendrick. 

Aging is one reason the labor force participation rate has declined over the past two decades. Many workers are simply aging out of the labor force and retiring, while others are stepping back in their careers to provide care. 

After quitting her job, Hendrick said she struggled with the loss of identity and financial consequences of becoming a caregiver.

“I watched my peers move up with their careers and advance,” she said. “But no one else was gonna do this.”

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania estimated caring for aging family members could cost $80,000 to $100,000 per year in lost earnings, job advancement, and other factors.

Eventually, Hendricks turned caregiving itself into a career. After her mother passed away,  she launched a small business that helps other families find care and resources for their aging family members. She also shares tips and advice about caregiving on social media and still cares for her own father.

“I wear the badge of caregiver proudly,” she said.

The day Sarah Burger learned she was pregnant with twins, she realized two things. One, she and her husband needed a bigger car. And two, she needed to quit her job. 

Burger was well-acquainted with the cost of childcare. When her first son was born, she shopped around for daycare in Buffalo, New York and found a good one that cost around $1,700 a month. 

Sitting in her car at the doctors office after learning she’d soon have three kids instead of one, Burger started doing math on her salary as a director of sustainability at a nonprofit.

“I was thinking about $1,700 times three,” she said. “I was like, ‘I know what my weekly pay take home pay is, I know what my husband's weekly take home pay is, and we just don't have that amount of money.’”

 

The cost of childcare in the U.S has risen faster than inflation the past few years. The Economic Policy Institute found child care is more expensive than public college tuition in 38 states and Washington DC. 

Her husband’s job at a for-profit company had better health insurance and much more reliable salary increases, making her the logical choice to stay at home with the kids.  “As long as I could tolerate doing it, there was really only one answer,” she said. 

But Burger said she’s more conscious than ever about her role in the economy, even though she no longer earns a paycheck.

“I do all of the household administration, I do all of our budgeting, and I make all of the money decisions,” she said. “When you become a stay-at-home parent, in some ways you're like, relegated to the sidelines, but you're playing so much more of a controlling role.”

Deondra Montgomery hasn’t gotten a paycheck in three years. “I do kinda miss that feeling,” she said. But like most medical students, she took a pause from paid work to focus on education.

As a third-year medical student at Michigan State University, Montgomery works long shifts at a hospital, where she is learning how to become a physician.

“My end goal as attending, once I finish all of my years of training, is to work at a community hospital where I'm able to interact more with individuals from the underserved communities,” she said.

Before starting her training, Montgomery worked in the clinical research industry for eight years. “I knew I wanted to go to medical school [and] I knew it was going to be expensive,” she said. “I was putting aside money consistently."

Though Montgomery said she still has that savings account as a “rainy day fund,” she’s primarily funding her education through loans.

“I am honestly so tired all the time, the most tired I've ever been,” she said. “But at the same time, I am also so grateful because it's such a privilege to be where I'm at right now.”