The theme of this year’s Carers Week (9–15 June) is Caring About Equality, highlighting the inequalities faced by unpaid carers. There are almost six million carers in the UK, and 2.6 million of these have given up work to care – that’s 600 people a day. This in turn can contribute to poverty and social isolation for carers, as well as poor mental health 😔.
Carers UK’s most recent State of Caring 2024 survey found that 73% of carers in employment said they had found it stressful to juggle work and care, and many don’t know where to turn to find a role that can fit with their caring responsibilities. At Jiggle, we understand the challenges facing carers, and can help to find you work that works for you.
Whether you’re currently in employment and struggling to balance this with looking after the person you care for, or you’ve had to give up work but would like to find a way to return to the job market, we’re here to offer advice and support.
Unpaid carers play a vital role in our communities but they often go unnoticed and unrecognised. Yet they possess skills and qualities that are desirable to employers, such as resilience, compassion, organisation, and communication. Caring and career doesn’t always have to be an either-or; there are ways you can continue to care as well as find fulfilment in paid work.
Our Recruitment Experts help to connect carers with employers who see the value of caring, respect your responsibilities, and support your professional goals.
Karen came to us looking for a change of career that could mix with caring for her Mum. She’d been providing support to her parents for several years, helping her Dad care for her Mum as she became increasingly frail, whilst continuing to work full time in a finance role. Sadly, Karen’s father died, and she took the decision to give up work to care for her mother as she felt she couldn’t provide the amount of care she needed and continue in her job.
Despite being happy to do this, after several months Karen was finding it difficult financially, and she was beginning to feel isolated. One of our Recruitment Experts helped Karen to identify what sort of role she would like, and what location and hours would be realistic, then matched this to carer-friendly employers. Now, Karen is working part-time in a hybrid role where she can work from her Mum’s house when she’s not in the local office.
Karen told us:
“It just felt too difficult to find the energy to even start looking for a job I wasn’t sure existed. Jiggle helped me to figure out what I wanted and could actually do, and then supported me through the process. There are still days when it’s hard caring and working but I’m so much happier now and the team I work with is great.”
If you’re a carer looking for a way to work, or an employer that wants to unlock a powerful workforce, talk to Jiggle.
You can find out more about Carers Week at www.carersweek.org
📊 Statistics from Carers UK
