Demographic changes mean employers are increasingly having to find innovative ways of supporting employees that have caring responsibilities. It is not easy to juggle work with caring for a child, elderly or disabled relative. Yet, the skills crisis and ageing population mean that employers do not want to lose valuable members of their workforce.
According to the 2001 census, 11% of the population of England and Wales provide a level of informal care to others and, of these, more than three million combine caring with employment. The burden of caring can hinder people's ability to participate in employment and, in some cases, cause them to withdraw altogether.
Our survey is designed to identify the extent of the challenge and what employers are doing to address it.
