Taking the next steps for working carers – the need for paid Carer’s Leave

Helen Walker, Chief Executive, Carers UK | TSB

While nearly 3 million carers are actively engaged in the UK’s labour market, research highlights the negative impact that providing unpaid care can have on carers’ employment opportunities. Indeed, 2.9 million carers are not in employment at all,² with 600 people a day taking the difficult decision to leave work to care, and many more reducing their hours or going part-time.³

Society needs to adapt and change to support our growing population of working carers and to realise the benefits of doing so. The introduction of a right to unpaid leave through the Carer’s Leave Act in April 2024 was an important step in the right direction, but there is the potential to do more.

The government’s recently published Employment Rights Bill offers a real opportunity to lay the foundations for the introduction of a statutory right to five days of paid Carer’s Leave per year during this Parliament. This could deliver clear benefits for carers, employers, and the economy.

Doing so would support more unpaid carers – particularly women in their late 40s and 50s – to stay in, or return to, work, and mean they could take time away from work to care without losing out financially. Our research found such a change would only cost government £5.5m to £32m to introduce.⁴ In contrast, providing working carers with the flexibility they need could deliver up to £8.2bn in improved productivity costs.⁵

Introducing paid Carer’s Leave would bring particular benefits to key sectors of the economy, including the NHS – where one in three staff currently juggle work and care, compared to one in seven of the wider working population.⁶ It would also help us catch-up with other countries like Germany, Australia, and Japan who have already introduced forms of paid leave.⁷

Many carer-friendly employers, including members of our ‘Employers for Carers’ forum, already provide employees with access to paid Carer’s Leave on a non-statutory basis. They recognise the benefits it brings through lower recruitment costs, higher staff retention, reduced absenteeism, and increased employee satisfaction and wellbeing.

TSB launched their Carers Policy in 2020, offering their colleagues who have caring responsibilities up to 70 hours paid Carer’s Leave on a rolling 12-month period. Almost eight per cent of TSB colleagues have taken advantage of this, with many advocating the policy – described by one carer as the ‘fourth emergency service’ – allowing them to continue with a rewarding career at TSB alongside their caring responsibilities.

We’re keen to see more good employer practice develop, with more organisations adopting carer-friendly practices and introducing paid Carer’s Leave policies. But government also needs to be future facing too, to ensure everyone who wishes to do so can remain in work alongside their caring responsibilities.

References

1. Census 2021
2. Ibid.
3. Carers UK (2019) Juggling work and care – a growing issue
4. Carers UK (2024) Taking the next step for working carers – introducing a statutory right to paid Carer’s Leave
5. Ibid.
6. NHS England Staff Survey - https://www. nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/what proportion-of-nhs-staff-are-carers
7. Carers UK (2024) Taking the next step for working carers – introducing a statutory right to paid Carer’s Leave

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