Informal Caring and Labour Market OutcomesWithin England and Wales

This paper focuses on the links between informal care provision and labour market activity atthe sub-national level. Within-country analysis of this issue has been very limited to datedespite the wide regional variations in informal care provision that often exist. This issue isimportant in the context of policy decisions in Wales and other parts of the UK because ofrelatively high levels of informal caring in certain areas, especially in the South WalesValleys. In particular, given that these areas typically have the lowest economic activity andemployment rates, labour market differences can be exacerbated by the provision of informalcaring by people of working age. Despite the wide variations in informal care provision, it isfound that labour market outcomes do not differ markedly by different care categories acrossspatial areas within England and Wales. However, the analysis reveals that labour marketoutcomes for males as well as females are heavily influenced for those who provide highlevels of caring, especially in the South Wales Valleys. For example, the largest impact ofcaring on the probability of not working for males and for part-time work for females is seen inthis area....