Hundreds of Britons quitting jobs every day to look after loved ones
Hundreds of people in Britain are quitting their jobs each day to look after a loved one, according to a new report.
By Sky News
Hundreds of people in Britain are quitting their jobs each day to look after a loved one, according to a report cited by Sky News. Charity Carers UK says more than 1,500 workers are becoming unpaid carers a day, up from around 600 a day in 2019.
The charity’s latest survey found that 6% of respondents had left work to care for a family member or friend who was older, disabled or seriously ill. It also said one in five workers were juggling paid work alongside unpaid caring, up from 15% in 2019.
Carers UK said about one in five UK adults now provide unpaid care, which it estimates is around 11 million people. The charity said the scale of people leaving work to care equates to more than 3.33 million people overall, with more than one million doing so in the past two years.
Emily Holzhausen, director of policy and public affairs at Carers UK, described the figures as “deeply worrying”. The report also cited a Department for Business and Trade estimate that the economic cost of carers leaving paid work is £37bn a year.
A legal entitlement to unpaid carer’s leave for employees in England, Wales and Scotland came into effect in April 2024, giving eligible workers up to a week of unpaid leave every 12 months.