All workers with caring responsibilities will have to be given 10 paid days off under proposals considered by the Government.
Ministers are weighing up the introduction of so-called paid carers’ leave for people looking after elderly, sick or disabled loved ones.
It is hoped the proposal, which would require employers to offer the leave to all carers on their staff, would help tackle Britain’s worklessness crisis by making it easier for them to hold down a job.
The number of people providing informal care across the UK surged by 700,000 since the pandemic to a six-year high of 5.2m in 2022-23, according to the Department for Work and Pensions. Around 600 people a day quit the workforce to focus on caring duties.
At present, carers are entitled to five unpaid days’ leave.
Helen Walker, chief executive at Carers UK, said the Government must “upgrade” the system to 10 paid days off to stop experienced staff from quitting their jobs.
She said women in particular are being squeezed out, with half taking on caring duties by the age of 46.
Ms Walker said: “Any one of us could become a carer tomorrow. We have an ageing population with more people living longer with more complex illnesses.
“Speak to any chief executive in any sector right now and I guarantee one of their top three headaches is employment and retention. So why lose people you’ve invested in, typically in their mid-40s to 60s, [when] you’ve invested more.
“There’s also a big gender differentiator here – more women than men are carers.”
Ministers will consider the plans after summer recess.
A government spokesman said “We will examine the feasibility of introducing paid carers’ leave, while also considering any potential impact on small employers.”
Worklessness among 55 to 64-year-olds has risen as more people in this age bracket provide informal care, up from 13pc pre-Covid to 16pc today.
Around 237,000 people aged 55 to 64 dropped out of the workforce between 2018 and 2023.
Carers UK, which is also lobbying for a review of the Equality Act 2010 to give carers greater protection from discrimination, released a study this week showing that a quarter of carers in employment were struggling to meet the requirements of their jobs because of their caring role.
The charity argued that unpaid carers “often feel invisible”, with over half believing that there is not enough understanding of carers from the general public.
The government spokesman said: “Helping carers is an important part of our plans to modernise the world of work, ensuring they can enjoy a good job and contribute their skills alongside their valuable role as carers.”
A total of 9.4m people are classed as “economically inactive”, up 1m since the eve of the pandemic. Of those, 2.8m are long-term sick – an extra 700,000 since before Covid.
Last month employment experts urged Labour to ensure that its overhaul of workers rights, which includes a ban on zero-hour contracts and introducing employment protections from day one in a job, does not backfire on those with caring responsibilities.
Neil Carberry, the chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, said: “The new Government must be careful that its own agenda on employment protection doesn’t stifle progress by protecting those in work at the expense of those looking for it.”
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