Around 1,500 Britons a day quitting jobs to become unpaid carers, report finds

Around 1,500 Britons a day are quitting their jobs to provide unpaid care, a report has found.

More than one million people are estimated to have left work to care for ageing, ill or disabled loved ones over the past two years.

One in five employees, equivalent to 6.7 million people, are balancing paid employment with caring responsibilities, often at a financial or career cost.

Carers UK, which published the report, said unpaid caring had become a widespread social and economic reality for households across the UK.

Among those surveyed, 22 per cent had reduced their working hours to combine employment with care, while 34 per cent were working fewer than eight hours a week.

Around one in 10 carers said they had turned down promotions or moved into lower-paid roles to remain in employment.

Emily Holzhausen, director of policy at Carers UK, said: “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.”

The charity called for stronger employment rights for unpaid carers, including a statutory entitlement to 10 days of paid carer’s leave each year.

It also urged Louise Casey’s independent review of adult social care to recommend changes that would put carers at the centre of a reformed system and make it easier to combine paid work with caring responsibilities.

The report said the rise in unpaid carers reflects both an ageing population and an increase in children and working-age adults living with disabilities or long-term health conditions.

Around 20 per cent of UK adults, equivalent to 11 million people, report having unpaid caring responsibilities.

The report estimated that the number of people leaving paid employment to provide care has doubled over the past seven years, with an annual economic cost of £37bn to the UK.

A government spokesperson said: “Unpaid carers make an extraordinary contribution to families, our communities and the economy, and I would like to personally thank Carers UK for their invaluable work in supporting unpaid carers and championing the issues they face every day.

“We want to ensure there are good jobs for carers who want to work alongside managing their caring responsibilities.

“This is why we are exploring how best to support unpaid carers through our review of employment rights.”