Skip to content

Supporting working carers

A man in a wheelchair with a disability, is fist pumping and smiling with a male carer. The words on the picture say 'working carers' someone's listening

If you employ an unpaid carer, there are many ways you can support your employee.

There are various studies that show that carers add value to the economy and it’s estimated equivalent is £162billion per year in England and Wales and according to Carers UK and the Centre for Care Research, over 1.9million people in paid employment became unpaid carers every year between 2010 and 2020 95,300 each day).

Carers UK also polled people in the UK and found that:

  • 1 in 7 people are juggling work and caring
  • 2million people have reduced their working hours to care
  • 2.6million people have given up work to care.

Carers often find they feel obliged to reduce their hours or leave their paid roles altogether to care full-time for their loved ones if the support is not available for them to continue working.

It is estimated by Centrica that UK companies could save up to £4.8billion a year in unplanned employee absences and a further 3.4billion in staff retention by adopting flexible working policies to support people with caring responsibilities.

The Carer’s Leave Act 2023

The Carer's Leave Act has opened up many more possibilities for carers who are employed. These changes came into effect on the 6 April 2024.

The Carer's Leave Act covers employees in England, Wales and Scotland. The act states:

  • employees are entitled to one week’s unpaid leave per year if providing or arranging care for someone with a long-term care need.
  • "Long term needs" is defined in the act as:
    • anyone with a condition that meets the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010
    • illness or injury (physical or mental) that requires or is likely to require care for more than three months
    • old age.
  • leave can be taken flexibly (in half or full days) for planned and foreseen caring commitments.
  • it is available from the first day of employment.

It provides the same employment protections to employees as other forms of family-related leave, including protection from dismissal.

Visit GOV.UK to learn more about the Carer's Leave Act.

Useful resources for employers

Here are some other useful resources for your business when supporting carers: