Britain’s ill-health crisis is driving more than eight million adults out of the workforce, a report has shown.
The research shows that one in five people of working age have health conditions which have left them out of work or limit the amount they can do.
Those with such ailments are three times as likely to end up jobless, the study found.
The findings, from the Commission for Healthier Working Lives, show a record 4.3 million people with health problems who are not working.
In addition, 3.9 million are in work but suffering from a “work-limiting health condition” which restricts what they can do. The combined 8.2 million figure has risen from 6 million in 2013 – an increase of 37 per cent.
Experts said Britain’s obesity crisis and worsening mental health were fuelling the trends, which have heaped billions on annual borrowing.
Overall, the research found that 300,000 people with work-limiting health conditions leave the workforce every year.
Delays accessing healthcare are compounding the problem, with one in three economically inactive individuals of working age on an NHS waiting list.
The commission, established by the Health Foundation think tank, calls for reform of sick pay, to better support phased returns to work with higher pay rates.
It also urges the Government to introduce incentives for employers to take a more “active role” in managing workforce health.
The Office for Budget Responsibility has estimated that the rise in ill health and inactivity among those of working age since the pandemic has already added £15.7 billion to annual borrowing, including £6.8 billion from higher welfare payments.
Public sector has highest rates
Forecasts suggest that spending on working-age incapacity and disability benefits will rise by 77 per cent in real terms between 2019/20 and 2028/29.
The commission calls for a review of working practices across the public sector, warning that it has some of the highest rates of workplace sickness.
It highlights high sickness rates in the NHS and schools, with mental health now a leading cause of absence from the health service.
The report also suggests businesses should be rewarded for recruiting workers with long-term conditions and offering support.
The findings have emerged as Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, prepares to reveal her first Budget, and the Government prepares to publish an employment white paper.
Ministers are considering allowing businesses to impose extended probation periods on people returning from long-term sickness in an attempt to encourage companies to hire them.
Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, are understood to be examining “flexible probation periods” as one potential lever to lessen the number of people on long-term sickness benefits.
The new report shows that on average between 2014 and 2023, 10.6 per cent of workers aged 16-64 with work-limiting health conditions moved from being in employment to being economically inactive each year. This was three times higher than the rate for workers with no long-term health conditions.
Once these people are out of the workforce, they also have a lower chance of returning to employment. Just 3.6 per cent moved back into work, compared with 9.5 per cent without such conditions.
The report notes that support for workers with health conditions often comes too late or is absent. Fewer than half of UK workers have access to occupational health services, the fit note system is ineffective and statutory sick pay is less generous than in other countries.
People ‘eager to work’
Sacha Romanovitch, the chairman of the Commission for Healthier Working Lives, said: “When people have secure, fulfilling work, they can support their families and contribute to society, which in turn benefits their health.
“The evidence in this report shows that, despite common misconceptions, many people with long-term health conditions are eager to work and can contribute meaningfully to the economy, yet often lack the support and flexibility they need.
‘If we intervene early and provide the right support, people can stay at work for longer. That is a goal that is great for individuals, great for businesses and great for society.”
Jo Bibby, the director of health at the Health Foundation, said: “Addressing the UK’s work and health challenges is key to the Government’s economic growth ambitions. Achieving this requires a radical shift in how we support the growing number of people who want to work but are held back by their health.
“While it is important to acknowledge current fiscal constraints, ignoring the long-term costs would be equally short-sighted. The increasing number of people with work-limiting health conditions – especially mental ill-health among young people – risks a massive loss of potential for decades to come.”
Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “This new report lays bare the sheer number of people reporting having work-limiting health conditions who are leaving the workforce.
“It is yet more evidence of the increasing impact of ill health in this country. It is clear that supporting people to continue working when they can is vital for the country’s economy.”
A Government spokesman said: “This report is another example of the dire inheritance this Government faces, where too many people are trapped on benefits and denied the opportunities they deserve due to ill health.
“We will deliver the change the country is crying out for by creating more jobs, making work pay, and transforming skills while reforming job centres and giving local areas the power they need to tackle economic inactivity.
“We have a robust plan to cut NHS waiting lists and address the social causes of health, which is also key to getting Britain well and back to work.”
US health ‘warning’
Separate research released on Thursday shows that British adults in their 30s and 40s are healthier than their counterparts in the US – but are more likely to think their health is poor.
The health of the US “acts as a warning” of what Britain could be like without the “safety net” of the NHS, researchers said, with differences potentially down to access to healthcare, diet and levels of poverty.
For the study, academics from the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, University of Oxford, Syracuse University and University of North Carolina used data from the 1970 British Cohort Study and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health.
Analysis included 9,665 British people born in 1970 and 5,381 US adults. It found adults in the US were more likely to have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, while four in 10 US adults were obese compared to 34.5 per cent of Britons.
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