Addressing the challenge of engaging in paid work while undertaking unpaid caring: insights for improving employment inclusion of young carers

• Date: 12 October 2023
• Pages: 585-609
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-12-2022-0351
• Published date: 12 October 2023
• Author: Kate Hutchings,Katrina Radford,Nancy Spencer,Neil Harris,Sara McMillan,Maddy Slattery,Amanda Wheeler,Elisha Roche

Addressing the challenge

of engaging in paid work while

undertaking unpaid caring:

insights for improving employment

inclusion of young carers

Kate Hutchings and Katrina Radford

Employment Relations and Human Resources, Griffith University,

Brisbane, Australia

Nancy Spencer

Policy Innovation Hub, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

Neil Harris

School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

Sara McMillan

School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, Menzies Health Institute Queensland,

Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

Maddy Slattery

School of Health Sciences and Social Work, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

Amanda Wheeler

Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia and

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Auckland,

Auckland, New Zealand, and

Elisha Roche

School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

Abstract

Purpose –This paper aims to explore challenges and opportunities associated with young carers’

employment in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach–Using a multi-stakeholder approach, this study captures the reflections of

stakeholders (n58) and young carers (n510) about opportunities for, and experiences of, paid employment

for young carers.

Employment

challenges for

young carers

585

Arafmi Ltd and Little Dreamers engaged with Griffith University to undertake a research project from

which this article was developed. The authors gratefully acknowledge their support to undertake this

research. Theauthors acknowledge suggestions for research design and datacollection provided by the

project advisory board, namely, Irene Clelland(Arafmi Ltd), Alex Tyson (Arafmi Ltd at the time of the

project),Madeleine Buchner (LittleDreamers), Cassie Lieschke(Little Dreamers atthe time of the project),

Professor Melanie Zimmer-Gembeck (Griffith University) and Abi Cooper (young carer). The authors

acknowledgeSarah Birtwistle for assistance with theliterature review.

An earlier version of some sections of this paper were included in an industry research report but the

research hasbeen theorised and substantively developed forthis paper.

Hutchings andRadford contributed as firstauthors. The remaining author order reflects the level of

contribution to developingthe paper (in descendingorder).

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-7149.htm

Received 19 December 2022

Revised 8 June 2023

23 July 2023

Accepted 14 September 2023

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 43 No. 4, 2024

pp. 585-609

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-12-2022-0351

Findings –Despite many organisations internationally increasingly pushing diversity agendas and

suggesting a commitment to equal opportunity experiences, this study found that young carers’work

opportunities are often disrupted by their caring role. For young carers to be successful in their careers,

organisations need to provide further workplace flexibility, and other support is required to attract and retain

young carers into organisations and harness their transferrable skills for meaningful careers.

Practical implications –The paper highlights important implications for human resource management

practitioners given the need to maximise the participation of young carers as workers, with benefits for young

carers themselves, employers and society.

Originality/value –The research adds to the human resource management and work–family conflict

literature in examining young carers through drawing on Conservation of Resources theory to highlight

resources invested in caring leads to loss of educational and work experience resources. This leads to loss

cycles and spirals, which can potentially continue across a lifetime, further contributing to disadvantage and

lack of workplace and societal inclusion for this group of young people.

Keywords Disadvantage, Diversity, Inclusion, Young carers, Youth employment, Youth unemployment

Paper type Original article

Introduction

This paperexplores challengesand opportunitiesassociated withyoung carers’employmentin

Australia.A youngcarer is a person underthe age of 25 who providesunpaid care,assistance,or

supportto a family memberor friend withan illness, disability,addiction,is frail, or aged(Carers

Australia, 2008). Extensive research has explored issues associated with people being able to

manage work and family/life and, within the research on work–life balance (WLB),

consideration has also been given to work–family conflict (WFC) and how it can be better

addressed by organisations. Definitively, WFC refers to “a form of interroleconflict in whichthe

role pressures from the work and family domains are mutually incompatible in some respect”

(Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985, p. 77), which makes it more difficult to manage either or both

aspects of life. While most research on WFC focuses on working parents, there is emerging

research expanding the WFC literature beyond familial relationships to also include carers of

older peopleand people withdisabilities (seeBain bridge et al., 2021;Bainbridge and Tow nsend,

2020). That research has highlighted the limited supportand resources available for employees

who providecare and advocatedfor a broader application of flexiblework practices(Krisor and

Rowold, 2014). Suggestedsupport for people to bettermanage WFC arises from a recognition

that work provided psychological support, respite from caring duties and an opportunity for

individuals to experiencefeelings ofsuccess (Bainbrid ge et al., 2021;Bainbridge and Townsend,

2020;Krisor and Rowold, 2014). Bainbrid ge et al.’s (2021) research found that, where gender

egalitarianism increases, women’s commitment to caregiving is unchanged, while, in an

unexpected finding, men provide less caregiving. These insights indicate significant career and

financial implications and necessitate organisational adjustments to care giving employees’job

tasks to reduce WFC, but this literature hasnot specifically examined young carers.

While the COVID-19 pandemic forced organisations globally to consider more flexible work

environments, it also ushered in an opportunity to advance discussion on work flexibility and

supports and resources–including through human resource management (HRM) - available to

more categories of care providers. This was further highlighted in a recent rapid review of WLB

during and after COVID-19 which found that there have been post-COVID changes in workplaces

including blurring of boundaries between work and life that has resulted in increased WLC in the

form of psychological stress, emotional exhaustion, burnout and increased turnover (Chan et al.,

2023). The work implications of COVID-19 were further illustrated by Ng and Stanton (2023) who

argued that the pressures of work and environmental constraints as well as the implications of

working during COVID-19 forced many to resign unexpectedly. Lafferty et al., (2022) suggested

family carers felt they only received the usual support at work and did not have any additional

organisational assistance to manage increased WFC. The emphasis in these papers was on all

workers, or, in the case of Lafferty et al. (2022) on family carers generally. However, there is an

important sub-tone that highlights the additional complexity of understanding the implications of

EDI

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