About 1,500 Britons a day have quit paid work to become unpaid carers, Carers UK says, with more than one million people leaving the workplace to look after ageing, ill or disabled loved ones in the past two years. Carers UK estimates unpaid caring now affects one in five employees, equivalent to 6.7 million people, and about 20 percent of UK adults, or 11 million people, report unpaid care duties. The charity found over a fifth of carers surveyed, 22 percent, had reduced their hours, 34 percent were working less than eight hours a week, and around one in 10 had turned down promotions or taken lower-paid roles. Carers UK warns the doubling in people quitting paid work to provide care over seven years costs the UK about 37 billion pounds a year. Emily Holzhausen, director of policy at Carers UK, said these figures represent people forced into difficult career and financial choices by the pressures of balancing work and care. The charity is calling for stronger employment rights for unpaid carers, including a statutory entitlement to 10 days of annual paid carer’s leave, and urged that Louise Casey’s independent review of adult social care recommend reforms to make it easier to combine work and unpaid care. A government spokesperson thanked unpaid carers and said ministers want to ensure there are good jobs for carers who wish to work alongside caring responsibilities.
