Four in five (80%) of carer employees said that additional paid carer’s leave would help them to balance work and caring responsibilities, according to new research by Carers UK.
A new report from the charity has estimated that if the statutory right to five days of unpaid carer’s leave for all employees with unpaid caring responsibilities was paid, it would cost the government between £5.5 million to £32 million annually. It also found that it could benefit more than two million working carers and potential productivity gains could be £8.2 billion a year for the UK economy.
Carers UK’s report also highlighted that based on carer’s allowance payment figures and lost tax revenues, the cost of employees leaving work due to caring responsibilities is an estimated £1.3 billion a year. It found that women are twice as likely than men to leave their job due to caring, older workers are significantly at risk of giving up work, and low-paid workers cannot afford to take the time off to care.
Helen Walker, chief executive at Carers UK, said: “Many of UK’s top employers are offering their working carers flexibility and paid leave to support them to juggle work and care. Doing so relieves a huge amount of stress for individuals and gives valued employees the peace of mind to know they will have the support they need to stay in work.
“Building on the Carer’s Leave Act 2023 by moving to paid carer’s leave through the passage of the government’s Employment Rights Bill would be a win win situation for everyone; leveraging even greater benefits for working carers, the people they care for, their communities, employers, and the economy. If we are to tackle the challenges of our ageing population and engage people in paid work for longer, we need employment policy to match the challenges we face. Introducing paid carer’s leave would support the UK economy, get more people back into work, keep productivity higher and meet families’ and workers’ needs for a better quality of life.”
