Number of carers juggling paid work and care across Wales increases to 220,000

1 in 7 of the Welsh workforce are caring for a loved one
6% of the Welsh adult population have quit their job to care
Carers Wales calls for better employment rights including 5 to 10 days paid care leave

New research by Carers Wales shows the average number of carers in the workplace is 15% across the UK, meaning more than 220,000 people in Wales are juggling their paid job with caring, an increase of 40,000. The figure equates to one in seven of all workers in Wales.

The research emphasises the need for Welsh employers to support the rapidly increasing number of staff with caring responsibilities to stay in the workforce.

Previous research shows those aged 45-64 are most likely to have a caring responsibility, providing a strong driver for employers to support and retain some of their most skilled and experienced employees.

It comes as the Wales Hub of Employers for Carers, a group of Welsh employers committed to supporting carers in the workplace and supported by Carers Wales, marks its six month anniversary.

Funded by the Welsh Government, the Wales Hub of Employers for Carers has been established to support organisations based in Wales to build carer-friendly and inclusive workplaces. Wales Hub members include the DVLA, South Wales Police, Cardiff Council and Hywel Dda Health Board in partnership with the local authorities of Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.

Claire Morgan, Director of Carers Wales, said:

“Better workplace support for people juggling paid work with caring for a loved one is becoming increasingly important, with a growing need for employers to improve flexibility and, with an ageing population, support people to keep working for longer, contributing to better productivity.

“With 15% of the population now working and caring, there is a real social and economic imperative for UK businesses to adopt carer friendly workplaces. Carers UK is urging the Government to improve rights for people juggling work and care by introducing a new right of five to 10 days of paid care leave.

“Adequate care and support services are also a key condition for many people’s employment so it’s more important than ever that the Government’s forthcoming social care proposals deliver the high quality and affordable care services we need now and in the future.”

Asked what support from their employer would be most important if combining their job with unpaid care for a loved one, 87 per cent of UK workers said a supportive line manager/employer, 84 per cent said the option to work flexibly, and 75 per cent said five to 10 days paid care leave.

Asked what supportive employment policies are currently available in their workplace, 38 per cent of UK employees said their employer had flexible working but only 12 per cent said they had paid care leave. A third (33 per cent) of people currently juggling work and care said that there were no policies listed to support carers. This suggests that for many carers, the lack of support in the workplace is a difficult reality.

7 per cent of people said unpaid caring had negatively impacted on their paid work, down from 10 per cent in 2013, indicating that measures by employers to support carers in the workplace have been working well for some.

Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, which has been working with Employers for Carers since its inception, has seen the business benefits of introducing flexible working and care leave for its staff as they have retained employees and reduced recruitment costs.

Simi Dubb, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Centrica:

“We are working hard to retain a diverse and skilled workforce through our carers policies which includes paid carers leave and flexible working from day one of becoming a carer. It’s the right thing to do and we want to support our employees and share best practices with other businesses. We are also working with Carers UK to urge the Government to introduce more support for carers such as mandatory paid carers leave.”

About Carers Wales

Carers Wales is part of Carers UK. We are a charity led by carers, for carers – our mission is to make life better for carers.

We give expert advice, information and support
We connect carers so no-one has to care alone
We campaign together for lasting change
We innovate to find new ways to reach and support carers

For practical advice and information about caring, www.carerswales.org or email advice@carerswales.org

The Carers UK Forum is our online community of carers and is available to carers, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Carers can join the forum and Carers Wales at: www.carersuk.org/forum.

Website: www.carerswales.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarersWales

Twitter: @CarersWales

Carers Wales is part of Carers UK. Carers UK is a charity registered in England and Wales (246329) and In Scotland (SCO39307) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (864097).

Find out more information about the Carers Wales hub.

About the Centrica and Carers UK partnership

The new partnership builds on a 15-year relationship between Centrica and Carers UK which has helped Centrica develop leading policies to support employees who are carers. This includes paid care leave and a thriving UK carers’ employee network.

Centrica is helping raise awareness of the challenges facing the care community and launching a number of initiatives designed to help to solve those challenges.

About the research

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 4,254 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 28th December 2018 – 4th January 2019. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2073 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 1st – 4th February 2013. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

All calculations by Carers UK using ONS population statistics for 2018.