In the future most people's lives will include at least one episode of unpaid caring.

The latest figures on carers are from the 2001 Census. This showed that there are nearly 6 million carers in the UK. This is 10% of the total population, or approximately 12% of the adult population. 58% of carers are women and 42% are men.

Carers and employment – facts and figures:

• As many as 3 million people combine work with caring for someone who is disabled, ill or frail.

• Every year, over 2 million people become carers, some overnight, some more gradually – so there is a new population of carers in the workforce every day.

• Carers make up over 12% of the total UK workforce, 1 in every 7 employees.

• Of the 2.5 million people in England and Wales who combine caring with paid work, 1.5 million work full-time, 662,000 are part-time and 380,000 are self-employed. (1)

• Almost 400,000 people in the UK combine full-time work with caring for 20 hours a week or more, of these 200,000 are working full time and caring for 50 hours per week or more. (2)

• Eight out of ten carers are of working age, ie aged between 16 and 65.

• 90% of working carers are aged 30+ – in their prime employment years. (3)

• Male carers are more likely to be in work than females, six out of ten male carers work, and 90% of these work full-time.

• Working carers pay a heavy penalty in terms of their own health. Those with heavy caring responsibilities are 2 to 3 times more likely than workers without caring responsibilities to be in poor health. (4)

• An Equal Opportunities Commission survey in 2004 showed that one in five carers had given up work or turned down a job because of their caring responsibilities.

• Women are more likely to give up work in order to care. (5)

• Carers UK's Real Change Not Short Change survey (2007), which had a higher proportion of heavy end and older carers, found that more than half (54%) had given up work to care. Many had retired early due to their caring responsibilities – an average of 8 years early.

• The carers who responded to this survey had lost an average of £11,000 per year in earnings because of giving up work, cutting their hours or taking a more junior job.

• Men and women who care for 20 or more hours a week are much less likely to be in higher level jobs. (6)

• Working carers are more likely to be unqualified, and less likely to hold university degrees, than other people in employment. (7)

Sources

(1) More than a Job: Working Carers: Evidence from the 2001 Census. Lisa Buckner and Sue Yeandle, University of Leeds (Carers UK, 2006).

(2) We Care – Do you? Lisa Buckner and Sue Yeandle, Sheffield Hallam University (Carers UK, 2005).

(3) More than a Job: Working Carers: Evidence from the 2001 Census. Lisa Buckner and Sue Yeandle, University of Leeds (Carers UK, 2006).

(4) More than a job: Working Carers: Evidence from the 2001 Census. Lisa Buckner and Sue Yeandle, University of Leeds (Carers UK, 2006).

(5) It Could Be You – A report on the chances of becoming a carer (Carers UK, 2001).

(6) More than a Job: Working Carers: Evidence from the 2001 Census. Lisa Buckner and Sue Yeandle, University of Leeds (Carers UK, 2006).

(7) Who Cares Wins: Statistical Analysis: Working Carers: Evidence from the 2001 Census. Lisa Buckner and Sue Yeandle, Sheffield Hallam University (Carers UK, 2006).