Sick people leave workforce at record highs | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds
The number of people in the UK leaving the workforce due to long term sickness has hit the highest level on record, according to Resolution Foundation analysis. The number of adults who are economically inactive due to ill-health climbed from 2.1m in July 2019 to 2.8m in October 2023, marking the “longest sustained rise” since 1994-1998, when records began. The rise in long-term sickness means the UK is the only G7 economy which has not returned to its pre-pandemic employment rate. Louise Murphy, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said Britain’s labour market is “finally returning to normal,” but warned that the pandemic “has left an alarming legacy of the longest sustained rise in sickness-related inactivity since the 1990s.”
She noted: “Younger and older people together account for nine-tenths of the rise in overall economic inactivity,” and warned that this could have “serious effects both on individuals’ living standards and career paths, as well as wider strains on the NHS and welfare spending if we fail to improve the nation’s health and reduce economic inactivity.” Shazia Ejaz at the Recruitment and Employment Federation, believes long NHS waiting lists “are a big factor for why not enough people are well enough to work,” adding “Better infrastructure around transport, childcare and social care will all help tackle the inactivity challenge the UK faces.”
Our HR Comment / Advice: Sick people leave workforce at record highs | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds
Matthew Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: – “This article which was shown on the BBC over the weekend demonstrates how difficult it still is for businesses within the UK, when dealing with sickness. The Pandemic may have officially finished but its repercussions as still dominant within the workforce. At Consensus HR, we work with our clients to ensure that the best HR Policies & Procedures are put in place to support the team and the business and that they are managed and implemented correctly. We are Partners with Breathe HR an IT system that makes it easy to manage correctly whilst ensuring the correct support and guidance is offered to the team member and management.
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