Carers Scotland have published new research that highlights the struggles that unpaid carers face in juggling paid work and unpaid care and the support that can help them stay in or return to work. The report sets out a range of recommendations for the Scottish Government, employers, local councils and health and social care partnerships on developing the environment that supports carers rather than create barriers to their aspirations.

Key highlights include:

There are approximately 800,000 people in Scotland providing unpaid care, which would cost an estimated £13.1 billion every year to replace the care they provide.
84% of respondents to the research are female, 15% male, and the remaining 1% self-identify as non-binary or transgender.
23% of unpaid carers have a disability.
The largest age groups providing unpaid care are 45-54 year olds (35%) and 55-64 year olds (40%).
29% care for 90 hours or more per week.
47% care for a parent or parent-in-law, 24% for a spouse or partner, 37% for children or children-in-law, 16% for another relative, and 2% for someone else i.e. friend or neighbour
The majority of care (60%) is provided for those aged 60+.

To review the research report in full, please visit Carers Scotland’s website (linked for your convenience).