Informal Carers and Employment: Summary Report of a Systematic Review

Findings from an investigation into the available evidence of strategies for employment retention of people who care, the triggers to labour market exit for carers and the barriers to re-engagement carers may face. 

A systematic review was carried out within DWP in order to enhance understanding of the employment-level consequences of informal caring. The research objective of the secondment was to carry out a systematic review of literature on the potential triggers for informal carers leaving the labour market to provide care. The systematic review answered the following questions:

• what causes carers to experience a change in labour market status from employed to either unemployed or economically inactive as a result of caring responsibilities
• when does this labour market transition occur in the individual’s caring journey

The report highlights the barriers faced by carers who wish to be in employment, the strategies in-work carers use to retain employment and the barriers to employment re-engagement when a carer has left the labour market.