Using the Earnings and Employees Study (2011) to analyse the association between unpaid caring and employment and earnings in NI.

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Currently it is estimated that one-in-five adults in Northern Ireland (NI) have caring responsibilities. A total of 214,000 (12%) people were providing some form of unpaid care on Census Day 2011 in NI, compared with 185,066 in 2001, an increase of 16 per cent. For people with long-term physical/psychological problems, disability, or problems related to old age there are many benefits associated with being cared for at home by a family member of friend; they report higher levels of independence, slower decline, and higher levels of life satisfaction. Furthermore, there are enormous economic benefits with the value of care provided during a full year of the Covid-19 pandemic alone being estimated at £6.93 billion for Northern Ireland. There are also benefits associated with being a carer; research has shown that providing care can increase confidence in the caregivers, develops resilience, strengthens emotional bonds with the care recipient, and provides reassurance that the care recipient is being well-cared for. However, care giving also comes with many costs to the care giver; carers experienced high levels of 'burden', depression, anxiety, distress, stress, poor physical health outcomes and lower quality of life. However, there is a notable lack of research evidence on the impact of caring on employment and income; employment status (e.g. casual, temporary, or permanent), employment type (full-time, part-time), occupational sector, hours worked, income, frequency of overtime, absence, pension contributions etc.Caring responsibilities may- * Result in leaving employment to provide care, which is a loss of experience and expertise in the workforce. In 2019, nearly 130,000 people in Northern Ireland are estimated to have left work, or reduced their hours to part-time, in order to provide care.* Hinder people entering the employment, depriving the economy with the associated personal and financial costs.* Increase the likelihood of part-time and/or casual working to accommodate caring demands.* Impact on pension contributions, increasing the likelihood of future financial insecurity.This project aims to provide the most comprehensive description of unpaid caring in NI and how it is related to a broad range of aspects associated with employment and income. It will achieve this by conducting analysis on a unique data source that combines data from three different sources. The Earnings and Employees Study (EES) 2011 links together variables from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2011, with variables from the Census of Population and Housing 2011, and Capital Value data from the Land and Property Services. In 2021 the Department for the Economy published the "10X Economy - An Economic Vision For A Decade Of Innovation" and this acknowledges that "...inclusive growth is fundamental". This study will help inform and guide the implementation of the 10X Economy in a way that acknowledges the hugely important role that unpaid carers play in the NI economy. This research project will be conducted with Carers NI as partners, to ensure that the findings are optimally used to help inform policy and practice to protect, promote and advocate for this large, and growing, part of the NI population.