New figures* show that this is the main barrier to unpaid carers accessing their rights under the Carer’s Leave Act.
56% of working carers responding said they can’t afford to take Carer’s Leave, highlighting the importance of updating the act to introduce a statutory right to paid Carer’s Leave.
Unpaid carers in the UK are now providing care worth a staggering £184.3 billion a year, evidenced by new research published by Carers UK and Centre for Care at the University of Sheffield this week. This huge increase – up by £64.9 billion since 2011 – is because families are providing more care than ever before.
Despite the vital care they provide, many unpaid carers are finding it increasingly difficult to afford day-to-day living costs due to rising prices and additional bills associated with their caring role – making support to stay in work where possible vital.
On average, 600 people a day leave work to care. 78% of carers responding to the Carers UK survey said access to paid leave would better help them to balance their working responsibilities with caring for a family member, friend or neighbour.
Younger carers aged 18 to 44 were more likely to say they couldn’t afford to take unpaid Carer’s Leave than those aged 45 to 64 and more likely to be worried their manager or colleagues would respond negatively to requests for this.
This year’s survey also showed that there is more to do to promote understanding of the Carer’s Leave Act with employers and employees. 42% of carers said they were aware of the legislation and how it affects them, 24% said they had heard of it but didn’t know much about it, and 34% said they were not aware of it.
Just 18% of carers responding to Carers UK said they already had access to paid leave through their employer.
Carers UK is now asking the Government to build on existing legislation within the Carer’s Leave Act, turning the existing statutory right of one week’s unpaid leave to paid Carer’s Leave through the passage of the Employment Rights Bill. It is also calling on employers to implement the Carer’s Leave Act thoroughly within organisations, become carer-friendly and to go further by implementing paid Carer’s Leave.
Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK, said: “As the value of care provided by unpaid carers continues to grow at an incredible rate, we need to ensure they get the recognition and help they deserve.
“Many carers find it increasingly difficult to juggle work and care, particularly if they are not receiving sufficient support. Whilst the Carer’s Leave Act was a huge step forward, benefitting over 2 million employees, it’s important that all unpaid carers who want to remain in work are able to do so.
“This Carers Rights Day we’re raising awareness of the support carers are entitled to and continuing to campaign for new rights – so that carers can make real choices about juggling work and care without their finances being impacted.
“Introducing paid Carer’s Leave would particularly benefit those on low pay – as often they cannot afford to take unpaid leave from work – and women who provide the bulk of unpaid care and are more likely to be disadvantaged by this.”
Ariam Enraght-Moony, Chief People Officer, TSB, said:
“It’s clear that working carers should be better supported to fulfil their caring duties. The reality is far too many simply cannot afford to take unpaid carer’s leave.
“Having offered two weeks of paid Carer’s Leave a year to TSB colleagues for over four years, we have seen first-hand the positive impact it has on our colleagues and the lives of those they care for. We would encourage all big businesses to introduce this vital support.”
Leading the research, Professor Matt Bennett, Centre for Care at the University of Birmingham said:
“Our research shows the growing economic value of unpaid care across the four nations of the UK, which has reached an astonishing £184.3 billion. To put this into perspective, the combined NHS budget across the four nations of the UK in 2021/2022 was £189 billion – so carers are providing the value of care equivalent to a second NHS. The value of unpaid care was also approximately four times higher than the expenditure on adult social services across the four nations of the UK.
“The economic contribution made by unpaid carers has increased by 29.3% in the last decade and paints a stark picture of the savings they make to health care budgets. Without unpaid carers, our health and social care systems would collapse.
“People are providing more hours of unpaid care than ever before, and the contributions made by unpaid carers have increased across all localities in the UK. We hope policy makers see the urgent need to act to support unpaid carers.”
*Released by Carers UK and supported by TSB Bank for Carers Rights Day (Thursday November 21st) – Carers UK State of Caring Survey 2024
