- By Vishala Sri-Pathma
- business reporter
1 hour ago
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Flic was an NHS physiotherapist
“I was very independent. I climbed Kilimanjaro. Now I need help washing my hair,” says Flic, who contracted Covid for a long time while working as a child physiotherapist in the NHS.
She is among the two and a half million people not working due to health problems – a new record in the UK.
For every 13 people currently in work, there is one person who has a long-term illness.
The lack of their skills in the workforce is starting to have a negative impact on productivity — and could impact long-term growth, too, according to economists.
“People who don’t work are inevitably bad for business and the economy,” says Tony Wilson, director at the Institute for Employment Studies.
“If companies can’t keep up with demand because they have to fill jobs, it might mean they have to pay people more to fill those jobs, or … shut down their business because they can’t handle it.”
“It affects overall productivity and could also lead to less competition,” he adds.
One of the reasons the UK economy is faring worse than other developed nations is the lack of workers after millions stopped working during the pandemic.
There are 400,000 more people out of work or looking for work than before the pandemic, Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at the ONS, told the `.
In addition to an increase in mental illness and back and neck pain that may be linked to working from home, Morgan said there has also been “an increase in the category that includes post-viral fatigue, so long-Covid may have an impact.” .
The ONS points out that even before the pandemic, work-restricting health problems were increasingly emerging. In 2016, around 15.4% of 16 to 64 year olds said so, in 2019 it was 16.4%. In 2022, that figure rose even further, to 18.1% of the population – around 7.5 million people.
Flic has weathered the pandemic, visiting patients in their homes right after they were discharged from the hospital.
“I felt exhausted all the time, but I put it down to exhaustion. I soon became too ill to work and took five months of unpaid leave.”
“An antibody test confirmed I had Covid and when it didn’t go away I realized it was Long-Covid,” she says. “It completely turned my life upside down.”
Tony Wilson of the Institute for Employment Studies says “presenteeism” – working when you’re sick – is worse than being sick because it means people are sick longer. “The workplace should adapt to the employee and try to make sure that workplaces work for people,” he says.
Tom Pollard, head of social policy at the New Economics Foundation, says that along with the immediate consequences of people not working, there are also “consequential costs” of people staying ill long-term.
“It tends to get worse because the longer people are out of work, the longer it takes them to get back into the office. It’s difficult to break this vicious circle,” he says.
Getting these people back into the workforce is a key part of the government’s plan to get the economy growing again.
The March budget included changes to the rules for health benefits and Universal Credit to help address labor shortages.
The latest numbers show mixed progress on this front.
A significant number of students, carers and even some pensioners have returned to work, bringing the inactivity rate – the main measure of inactivity – down to 21% – the lowest level in three years.
However, the rise in the number of people who are too ill to work is likely to worry policymakers.
How can I avoid back and neck problems?
By Michelle Roberts, Editor of Digital Health
Proper sitting posture is one of the best things you can do to prevent back and neck problems.
So it’s easy to see how bad it can be for you to sit at your desk for hours, hunched over a laptop.
The latest data from the ONS suggests that musculoskeletal problems are on the rise and are likely linked to the shift to working from home that has happened to many of us during the pandemic.
If you’re using a home workstation, it’s a good idea to keep the top of your computer screen at eye level and about an arm’s length away from you.
You should be able to relax your shoulders and keep your elbows at 90 degrees as you type.
Also, take regular breaks to stand up, stretch, and exercise.
If you have neck or back pain, talk to your doctor or see a physical therapist.
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