As society faces the challenges and opportunities of an ageing population, longer life expectancies and extended working lives, more and more people are trying to manage work alongside caring for older, seriously ill or disabled loved ones.
The pressure that working carers find themselves under as a result has seen just over 1 in 5 UK adults’ work negatively affected as a result of caring, including 2.3 million who have given up work and almost 3 million who have reduced their working hours to care at some point.
This research shows that the UK is falling far behind other countries in developing rights to time off work to care for loved ones. With 89% of the public supporting a right to a short period of time off work to care, this report argues that it is time for policy makers to make statutory care leave a priority.