Carers UK highlights a growing crisis, with about 1,500 UK workers quitting paid jobs each day to care for a loved one, a rise over the past two years.

A survey of 4,000 UK adults in July finds around 3.33 million people have left work to care, including roughly 1.1 million in the last two years, a 150% increase since 2019.

In total, an estimated 1.1 million people have left paid employment to provide unpaid care over the past two years, signaling a significant shift in the labor market.

The report calls for policy action to help carers juggle work and caregiving and to address financial and career consequences.

The government acknowledges carers’ contributions and is reviewing employment rights to better support those balancing work with unpaid care.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has publicly acknowledged the strain on family carers and warned that without adequate support, caregiving can break people.

He also stressed the need for recognition and better services to protect carers’ well-being.

Advocates push for a statutory entitlement to 10 days of annual paid carer’s leave and stronger employment rights for unpaid carers as part of broader adult social care reforms.

Emily Holzhausen of Carers UK emphasizes real-life impact behind the numbers and urges employer-led actions and stronger government support through paid leave and improved rights.

Carers UK argues for statutory paid carer’s leave and enhanced workplace protections, saying current rights don’t reflect carers’ realities.

Personal stories, such as Kevin Cameron’s transition from a 9-to-5 job to full-time caregiving after his partner’s stroke, illustrate financial and mental health challenges and limited support.

England, Wales and Scotland now offer up to a week of unpaid carer leave per year (effective April 2024), with a government consultation underway on expanding protections to paid leave, a return-to-work right, and better workplace guidance.