More than 1,500 people in the UK are resigning from their jobs every day to care for loved ones, according to estimates by Carers UK, a charity that describes the situation as "deeply worrying." A recent survey by the charity found that one in five (20%) workers are managing their jobs alongside being an unpaid carer, a significant increase from 15% in 2019. While 5% of respondents in 2019 said they had given up their job completely to care for a family member or friend who is older, disabled, or seriously ill, this number rose to 6% in the latest survey. Of those who have quit their jobs to care, a third (34%) had done so in the previous two years, up from 18% in 2019. Around 2% of the 4,000 UK adults surveyed online in July said they had given up work to care in the past two years—a rise from 0.9% in 2019. Carers UK said that one in five UK adults providing unpaid care equates to an estimated 11 million people, up from an estimated 8.8 million in 2019. The charity also noted that the proportion of people leaving work to care equates to an estimated 3.33 million people, with around 1.1 million doing so in the past two years. The charity’s latest report emphasized that the pressures on unpaid carers have grown significantly in recent years, with more people reaching a point where balancing work and care is no longer sustainable. Unpaid caring is now a "widespread social and economic reality" for UK households, with one in five employees—equivalent to 6.7 million people—facing career and financial sacrifices as they juggle paid work and care for family or friends. Over a fifth of those surveyed (22%) had reduced their job hours to manage both roles, with over a third (34%) working less than eight hours a week. Around one in 10 carers said they had turned down promotions or taken on lower-paid roles to stay in work. Carers UK has long called for a statutory right to paid leave for carers, arguing that current workplace support and employment rights "do not reflect the realities of caring." In April 2024, a legal entitlement to unpaid leave for carers came into effect for England, Wales, and Scotland, allowing employees to take up to a week of unpaid leave every 12 months. A recent government consultation proposed introducing paid carer’s leave, including asking respondents how much it should be, a new "right to return" to work for carers similar to maternity leave, and new guidance for workers and employers on protections carers have in the workplace. The Department for Business and Trade said that unpaid carers feeling forced to cut their working hours, delay returning to work, or quit altogether costs the economy an estimated £37 billion a year. New protections could result in thousands of people with caring responsibilities returning to work with increased flexibility and financial security. Carers UK has called on the government to strengthen employment rights for unpaid carers, including introducing a statutory entitlement to 10 days’ annual paid carer’s leave for employees. The charity also urged a review of adult social care to ensure carers are at the center of a reformed system, making it easier for them to combine work and unpaid care.