Over half of caregivers who balance work and care cannot afford unpaid leave
- Financial implications prevent 56% of carers from taking their unpaid leave.
- According to new statistics, the value of unpaid caregiving in the UK has now reached PS184.3 billion per year.
- 78% of caregivers say that paid leave would help them better balance their work and caring responsibilities
Many people who care for relatives or friends, whether they are ill, elderly, or disabled, are hesitant to use their right to unpaid leave as they fear the financial consequences.
Carers UK released new figures and TSB Bank supported them for Carers Rights Day on Thursday, November 21, st. These show that the primary barrier for unpaid caregivers to access their rights under Carer’s Leave Act is this.
Carers UK State of Caring Survey, 2024 revealed that 56% of respondents said they couldn’t afford Carer’s leave. This highlights the importance of updating legislation to include a statutory entitlement to Carer’s Pay.
According to a new study published this week by Carers UK, Centre for Care at University of Sheffield and Carers UK, unpaid carers provide care in the UK worth an astounding PS184.3 billion per year. The increase of PS64.9 billion in the last year is due to families providing more care.
Unpaid carers find it difficult to pay for their daily living expenses due to the rising costs and bills that come with caring. Supporting them to remain in work is vital.
In average, 600 workers leave their jobs every day to provide care. Carers UK’s survey found that 78% of respondents said paid leave would help them balance work and caring for family members, friends or neighbors.
The younger carers (18 to 44) were more likely than the older ones (45 to 64) to claim that they could not afford unpaid leave for caring. They also expressed greater concern about their manager’s or co-workers’ reaction to such a request.
The survey showed that employers and employees still need to be educated about the Carer’s Leave Act. Carers were 42% aware of the legislation, its impact on them and their employers. 24% had heard about it but did not know much, while 34% were unaware.
Only 18% of respondents to Carers UK indicated that they had paid leave available through their employers.
Carers UK has asked the Government to expand on the Carer’s Leave Act and turn the existing statutory entitlement of one week of unpaid leave into paid Carer’s Leave by passing the Employment Rights Bill. Carers UK is calling for employers to fully implement the Carer’s Leave Act within their organisations, to become more carer-friendly, and to take it a step further by implementing Paid Carer’s Leave.
Helen Walker is the Chief Executive Officer of Carers UK.
We need to make sure that unpaid caregivers receive the recognition and support they deserve.
Many carers are finding it more difficult to balance work and caring, especially if they do not receive enough support. The Carer’s Leave Act, which benefited over 2 million workers, was a great step forward. However, it is important that unpaid carers can continue to work.
“On Carers Rights Day, we continue to raise awareness about the rights and support that carers deserve and campaign for new ones so they can make real decisions when juggling care and work without having their finances affected.
Women who are the main caregivers and often do so unpaid, would be most impacted by a paid leave.
Ariam E. Enraght Moony, Chief people officer, TSB said:
“It is clear that caregivers who are working should be supported better to fulfill their caring duties. Far too many people simply cannot afford unpaid leave as carers.
We have witnessed first-hand, the positive impact of offering two weeks of paid carer’s leave a year to TSB employees for the past four years. We encourage all large businesses to offer this important support.
Professor Matt Bennett of the Centre for Care at University of Birmingham, who led the research, said:
Our research shows that the economic value of unpaid services in the UK has grown to an astounding PS184.3 billion. This is compared to the combined NHS budget of the four UK nations in 2021/2022, which was PS189 billion. Carers provide the care equivalent of a second NHS. The value of unpaid services was four times greater than adult social service expenditure in the four UK nations.
“The contribution of unpaid caregivers to the economy has grown by 29,3% over the past decade. This is a clear indication of the cost savings that they bring to the health care budgets. Our health and social care system would be in ruins without unpaid carers.
The UK has seen an increase in unpaid carer contributions. We hope that policymakers will see the urgency of supporting unpaid caregivers.”
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