Research: Juggling work and unpaid care

This report looks at the impact the­ ageing population is having among those who are juggling work while providing unpaid care, how the world of work needs to adapt and the consequences if it does not. 

Key findings

• 4.87 million people are juggling work with care. This is the equivalent of one in seven of all workers.
• The number giving up work to care has increased from 2.3 million in 2013 to 2.6 million, a rise of 300,000 people; nearly a 12% increase.
• The number of adults reducing working hours in order to care has fallen from nearly three million in 2016 to just over two million – a fall of a third.
• Those saying that unpaid caring had impacted negatively on their paid work has dropped from 10% in 2013 to 7%, suggesting that measures to support carers have been working for some in the workplace.
• Nearly half a million people have given up work over the past two years as a result of caring. This equates to around 600 people every day.
• There are lower numbers of people juggling work and care in the private sector (13%) compared to the public sector (19%). Workers in the private sector had less access to supportive policies listed for carers (28%) compared with the public (20%) and third sectors (22%).

This Carers UK report also looks at the interventions that can be undertaken by Government, employers, local authorities and health bodies to meet these challenges and improve productivity.