Wed, 05 Nov 2025

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 Britain sliding 'into economic crisis' over £85bn sickness bill

The number of people who are out of work for health reasons has grown by 800,000 since 2019.

*Sickness costs employers £85bn per year through lost productivity and sick pay.
*One in five working-age people are out of work and not seeking work.
*Without intervention, another 600,000 people could leave work due to health reasons by the end of the decade.
*The government has announced a major partnership with over 60 companies to tackle ill-health that is pushing people out of work.
*Employers are being encouraged to provide reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities.
*The state spends £212bn per year on illness-related inactivity, or nearly 70% of income tax.
*People with health conditions can be encouraged to stay in work if they view health as a "shared responsibility between employers, employees and health services".
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