Carers UK is calling for a better employment rights including five to 10 days paid care leave.
New research by Carers UK revealed that 1 in 7 of the UK workforce is caring for a loved one and 6 million people have quit their jobs to care for something.
The research shows that 2.6 million individuals have quit their job to care for a loved one who is older, disabled or seriously ill, with nearly half a million (468,000) leaving their job in the last two years alone – more than 600 people a day.
These new statistics emphasises the need for UK employers to support the rapidly increasing number of staff with caring responsibilities to stay in the workforce.
Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said: “Better workplace support for people juggling paid work with caring for a loved one is becoming an increasingly important issue, with a growing need for employers to improve flexibility and, with an ageing population, support people to keep working for longer, contributing to better productivity.
“With 15% of the population now working and caring, there is a real social and economic imperative for UK businesses to adopt carer friendly workplaces. Carers UK is urging the Government to improve rights for people juggling work and care by introducing a new right of five to 10 days of paid care leave.
“Adequate care and support services are also a key condition for many people’s employment so it’s more important than ever that the Government’s forthcoming social care proposals deliver the high quality and affordable care services we need now and in the future.”
Previous research shows those aged 45-64 are most likely to have a caring responsibility, providing a strong driver for employers to support and retain some of their most skilled and experienced employees.
Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, which has been working with Employers for Carers, since its inception, has seen the business benefits of introducing flexible working and care leave for its staff as they have retained employees and reduced recruitment costs.
This all comes as Employers for Care, a group of more than 115 employers committed to supporting carers in the workplace and supported by Carers UK, marks its 10th anniversary as a formal forum and launches Carer Confident, the first UK-wide employer benchmarking scheme of its kind.
Simi Dubb, director of diversity and inclusion at Centrica, said: “We are working hard to retain a diverse and skilled workforce through our carers policies which includes paid carers leave and flexible working from day one of becoming a carer.
“It’s the right thing to do and we want to support our employees and share best practices with other businesses. We are also working with Carers UK to urge the Government to introduce more support for carers such as mandatory paid carers leave.”