Working carers FAQs

As many as 3 million people combine work with some level of unpaid care in the UK.

However, However, research from Carers UK suggests these numbers could be higher with 1 in 7 people in the workplace in the UK juggling work and care (nearly 5 million in total).  

Put simply, being a carer can be like having a whole other job - on top of an employee’s regular job and on top of their other family commitments, hobbies or interests. Caring doesn't work nine till five, it is unpredictable and can be hard to fit around a paid job.

Carers often feel they have no choice but to reduce their hours, change to less demanding careers or even give up work altogether. The Carers UK State of Caring 2025 survey found that 69% of carers who are employees said they haven’t focused on their career as much as they’d like, and 61% said caring has affected the type of employment they’ve taken on. A fifth (21%) said they had taken on a lower paid or more junior role that fitted better with their caring responsibilities. 

The reasons carers may feel they have no choice to leave the workplace include:

• They can't get the flexibility they need.
• They can't get the time off they need.
• They can't get the local care services they need.

The problem is not only pressing now, but set to increase. Centre for Care research found large numbers of working people coming in and out of caring responsibilities in a cycle of care - more than 1.9m workers became unpaid carers every year between 2010-2020 - 5,300 people every day.

The number of people aged 85 and over rose by nearly three-quarters over the three decades from 1995. That means more working-age people are caring for elderly parents. At the same time, there are more disabled children, leaving more parents with additional caring responsibilites.

Far from compromising business objectives, research shows that using a flexible working approach to support carers can achieve impressive business results. 

For employers, losing carers means a loss of skilled and experienced staff, while for carers, leaving work can result in reduced income and increased financial and emotional strain. On a wider scale, the economic impact is substantial, with lost productivity from carers exiting the workforce estimated at a staggering £37 billion. 

Supporting carers:

• Attracts and retains staff
• Reduces stress
• Reduces recruitment and training costs
• Increases productivity
• Reduces sick leave
• Improves service delivery
• Produces cost savings
• Improves people management
• Increases staff morale.