UK Losing Adults Workers to Long-term Sicknesses — the Numbers are Unbelievable
By Augustine Mbam - - 5 Mins Read
According to a report released by the Office Of National Statistics in July 2022, over 2.5 million adults are unable to work due to adult health problems in the UK...
Adult health problems have continued to increase. The data report by the National Health Service in charge of Uk healthcare confirmed that the number has grown by 20%, and 2.6 million adults can't join the UK workforce because of adult health Problems.
The number of economically inactive" people in the UK has continued to increase, especially between the ages of 16 and 64, and has risen by more than 630,000 since 2019.
After the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the UK adult labor market has continued to shrink, early retirements are high, and death rates are likely to overtake birth rates in 2030, as the Institute of Public Policy Research reported.
Jonathan Portes, professor of economics and public policy at King's College London, said, "the scale of the labor market depletion is likely a combination of long Covid; other pandemic-related UK health issues such as mental illness; and the current crisis in the NHS.
He explained further, saying, "factors that hurt public UK health directly — such as increased waiting time for treatment — could have a knock-on effect: people may have to leave the workforce to care for sick relatives."
A specialist advisor of work at Centre for Ageing Better, Kim Chaplain, also added, "These new stats make clear that long-term sickness is part of the challenge that the government needs to find solutions to adult health problems.”
She also said, “Among the thousands highlighted, many are currently stuck within, or outside, an employment support system that does not work for them."
A 64-year-old man named John shared a testimony of how he volunteered to be trained to become a debt advisor after he was forced to retire last year because of severe arthritis in his hands. He also said, "CAB saw past my physical disabilities to all that I have to offer them, It didn’t take much to turn me from being a burden to someone able to continue contributing to society, but I know I’m incredibly lucky: other employers would not have had that attitude.”
Former Bank of England policymaker Michael Saunders, now at Oxford Economics, revealed to reports during an interview that the UK's higher rates of preexisting health conditions, such as obesity, contributed to the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Saunders emphasized the importance of addressing these UK healthcare challenges in the government's growth strategy, as they impact public health and the economy.
The Federation Of Small Businesses spokesman David Hale said, "you can’t tackle this skills crisis without attracting older people and disabled people into work."
According to him, "that would help small businesses desperate for staff, those entering or returning to the workforce, and the economy overall.”
A research economist from Institute for fiscal studies, Bee Boileau, said, "This rise in long-term sickness for economically inactive people is very concerning," according to Bee Boileau, “It adds to growing evidence that the UK’s health is worsening.