Around 100,000 carers are 'trapped' on Universal Credit, new research suggests.
The GMB said its analysis of official data showed that one in 10 care workers in England are in receipt of in-work benefits.
The union said care workers were paid £8.72 an hour on average in England last year, with a third on zero hours contracts, rising to half in London.
Kelly Andrews, GMB national officer said: "It should be a source of national shame that the dedicated care workers who supported and cared for individuals and kept many alive during pandemic are paid so badly that they are on Universal Credit.
"Our care sector is already facing up to 170,000 vacancies by the end of the year and a mandatory vaccine that could force thousands more away.
"With the Government's plan to slash Universal Credit payments by £20 a week in October, we are heading for a perfect storm."
The GMB is taking its campaign for a £15 an hour minimum wage for care workers to the TUC Congress this week.
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