AF. whereas increasing scientific evidence shows that good hand hygiene in healthcare settings requires the use of methods to dry hands that do not facilitate microbial cross-contamination via airborne dissemination and aerosolisation;

22. Recalls that the care sector has been identified by the EU as an area of potential growth in employment, and that Parliament has identified the need for better pay and training in order to make this an attractive career choice and improve the quality of service; points to the noticeable lack of workers in parts of the health and care provision sector, and calls on the Member States to promote care training among young people, as well as training measures which can help caregivers and providers better understand the needs of care recipients;

22. Recalls that the care sector has been identified by the EU as an area of potential growth in employment, and that Parliament has identified the need for better pay and training in order to make this an attractive career choice and improve the quality of service; points to the noticeable lack of workers in parts of the health and care provision sector, and calls on the Member States to promote care training among young people, as well as training measures which can help caregivers and providers better understand the needs of care recipients;

22. Recalls that the care sector has been identified by the EU as an area of potential growth in employment, and that Parliament has identified the need for better pay and training in order to make this an attractive career choice and improve the quality of service; points to the noticeable lack of workers in parts of the health and care provision sector, and calls on the Member States to promote care training among young people, as well as training measures which can help caregivers and providers better understand the needs of care recipients;

Community care, home care, residential care and day care are labour-intensive sectors in which staff costs account for the majority of the overall expenditure.

Strategy measures might include reform of pension and health care systems, and care for the elderly, increasing the effective retirement age, stimulating higher labour supply participation, especially for older workers, setting-up and increasing public pension fund reserves and possibly encouraging the expansion of supplementary privately-funded pension schemes (pillars 2 and 3).