Hundreds leaving work each day to care for loved ones, report finds
More than 1,500 workers a day are becoming unpaid carers while hundreds are leaving employment altogether to look after relatives and friends, according to research from Carers UK.
By Sky News
Hundreds of people are leaving their jobs each day because of responsibilities caring for relatives and friends, according to research highlighting the growing impact of unpaid care on Britain’s workforce.
Carers UK says more than 1,500 workers are becoming unpaid carers every day, a sharp increase from around 600 a day in 2019.
Its latest research found that 6% of respondents had left employment to provide care for somebody who was older, disabled or seriously ill.
The charity estimates that more than 3.33 million people have left work because of caring responsibilities, including more than one million during the past two years.
At the same time, increasing numbers of people are attempting to combine employment with looking after somebody.
Around one in five workers are now juggling paid employment and unpaid caring responsibilities, according to the research, compared with 15% in 2019.
Carers UK estimates that approximately 11 million adults across the UK – around one in five of the adult population – currently provide some form of unpaid care.
The figures illustrate an increasingly important challenge for both households and employers as Britain’s population ages and more families find themselves responsible for supporting relatives alongside their own jobs.
Leaving employment can have substantial long-term financial consequences for carers.
As well as losing their immediate earnings, people who reduce their hours or stop working can see their pension contributions fall and may find it more difficult to return to employment later.
There is also a wider economic cost.
A Department for Business and Trade estimate cited by Carers UK puts the annual cost associated with unpaid carers leaving paid employment at around £37 billion.
Emily Holzhausen, director of policy and public affairs at Carers UK, described the latest figures as deeply worrying and said employers needed to recognise the increasing number of people combining work with care.
Employment protections for carers have changed in recent years.
Since April 2024, employees in England, Wales and Scotland have had a legal right to take up to one week of unpaid carer’s leave during a 12-month period.
The entitlement is available to employees who need time away from work to provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need.
However, because the statutory entitlement is unpaid, taking time away from work can itself create difficulties for households already under financial pressure.
Carers UK has been campaigning for stronger workplace support, including paid carer’s leave, arguing that helping people remain employed can benefit workers, businesses and the wider economy.
For employers, the growing number of working carers also raises questions about staff retention.
Experienced employees who might otherwise remain in the workforce can be forced to reduce their hours or leave altogether when caring responsibilities become incompatible with their jobs.
Flexible working arrangements and additional workplace support can help some employees remain in work, although the circumstances and level of care required can vary considerably between families.
The latest figures suggest the issue is becoming increasingly difficult to treat as a relatively small part of the labour market.
With around one in five workers now combining employment with unpaid care, supporting carers is increasingly becoming an employment and economic issue as well as a social care challenge.