How Unpaid Caring Shapes Working Lives: Employment Trajectories, Personal Costs and Support Needs In Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland

About the project

About the Project About the project Across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR), the 2021 Census identified over 91,000 unpaid carers, including more than 57,000 providing at least 10 hours of care each week. Nationally, around one in eight people in work have caring responsibilities. Caring is a substantial contribution to society and an important influence on working lives. Yet carers, and the organisations that support them, are under increasing pressure. Voluntary Action South Leicestershire (VASL), a key provider of carers services, supported 4,233 carers in 2025, compared with 4,512 in 2017, while its spending on carers services fell from £437,439 to £269,421. Understanding where limited resources can make the greatest difference is increasingly important. There is also a significant local knowledge gap concerning working carers. Many people do not recognise themselves as carers, and instead see their responsibilities as part of being a partner, relative or friend. As a result, there is little local evidence on how caring affects employment, why some people stay in work while others reduce their hours or leave, and what support would make the greatest difference. This PhD project will examine how unpaid caring reshapes working lives over time. Rather than treating working carers as a fixed group, it will explore how caring begins, intensifies and changes alongside employment, including reduced hours, career changes, interrupted education or training, leaving the labour market and attempts to return. Through in-depth narrative interviews (conversations in which people tell the story of their own experiences) across LLR, the researcher will explore the consequences for careers, income, pensions, health, wellbeing and quality of life, and how factors such as gender, occupation, caring intensity and workplace flexibility shape different experiences. The findings will give VASL and its sister organisation, Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL), evidence to improve support, strengthen their collaboration and identify opportunities for earlier intervention. Recommendations for employers and local services will also help people to stay in work or return to it, strengthening the evidence for preventative support that protects carers' wellbeing and financial security. This project has been co-created with and is supported by researchers from Loughborough University and De Montfort University, and partners at Voluntary Action South Leicestershire. The successful candidate for this project will be enrolled at Loughborough University. Project Aims and Objectives The project objectives are: Explore how unpaid caring shapes working lives across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland over time, including changes in working hours, career progression, employment, labour market exit and return to work. Understand how people experience and navigate the competing demands of paid work and unpaid care, including the compromises, adaptations and decisions they make as caring responsibilities change. Examine the personal, social and economic consequences of caring, including impacts on income, pensions, health, wellbeing, relationships and quality of life. Explain why experiences and outcomes differ, examining how gender, occupation, socioeconomic and household circumstances, life stage, caring intensity, workplace flexibility, family support and access to formal services interact. Identify unmet needs and opportunities for earlier, more accessible and better targeted support, generating evidence to inform VASL's provision, VAL's developing involvement, employer practices, resource allocation and future funding. What is Collaboratory? Collaboratory is a research programme, led by Universities for Nottingham and the Leicester Universities Partnership, that places community knowledge and experience at the heart of research. This eight-year initiative is pioneering a new approach to collaboration, working closely with local communities and community-focused organisations to develop and deliver research that addresses the needs and priorities of local communities. Who are we looking for? Collaboratory aims to bridge the gap between academia and communities through a holistic programme of co-created research that actively embeds public groups within its research. As we strive to establish an innovative approach to conducting PhD research, we seek candidates who can demonstrate a deep knowledge of and commitment Leicester Leicestershire and Rutland and communities. Prospective candidates should demonstrate the extent to which they meet the project competencies, detailed in the full advert on the Collaboratory website. How to Apply Applications to all Collaboratory 2027 PhD studentships must be submitted through our online applications portal. It is strongly recommended that prospective applicants attend one of the online support sessions, prior to submitting their application. Full details of the Collaboratory programme, studentship funding, eligibility criteria and link to the application form can be found on our website at collaboratoryresearchhub.ac.uk/2027-studentships. Applications open at 11am on Monday, 5th October 2026 and close at 11:59 pm on Sunday, 29th November 2026.

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