More than a million people have left work to look after loved ones in the past two years, Carers UK says. About 1,500 Britons a day are quitting their jobs to become unpaid carers, as they try to balance their vulnerable relatives’ growing care needs with declining access to state-funded social care services.
Key Findings
Research estimates that more than a million people have left the workplace to look after ageing, ill, and disabled loved ones in the past two years. This highlights the social challenges caused by the UK’s rapidly changing demographic profile. Unpaid caring is now a “widespread social and economic reality” for UK households, with one in five employees – equivalent to 6.7 million people – facing career and financial sacrifices as they juggle paid work and care for family or friends.
- Over a fifth of those surveyed (22%) had reduced their job hours to manage work and care.
- More than a third (34%) work less than eight hours a week.
- Around one in ten carers have turned down promotions or taken on lower-paid roles to stay employed.
Voices from Carers
Emily Holzhausen, the director of policy at Carers UK, stated:
““These figures represent real people who have had to make difficult decisions about their careers, their financial security and their futures due to the pressures of balancing work and care.”
Carers UK, which published the report, called on the government to strengthen employment rights for unpaid carers. They urged for the introduction of a statutory entitlement to 10 days’ annual paid carer’s leave for employees. The organization also emphasized the need for Louise Casey’s independent review of adult social care to recommend policy changes that prioritize carers in a reformed system, making it easier for them to combine work and unpaid care.
