Spiraling absenteeism blamed on mental illness and long Covid as 36% of working-age people have long-term health conditions
- The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that 2.5 million people are chronically ill
- 36% of all people of working age report having at least one long-term condition
Rising rates of depression and anxiety – along with the emergence of long Covid – are driving up the number of Britons on long-term sick leave.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that more than 2.5 million people were out of work due to ill health in the first three months of 2023 – an increase of 400,000 since the start of the pandemic.
It comes against a backdrop of rising chronic illness, with 36 percent of all working-age people reporting living with at least one long-term health condition – up from 31 percent in the first quarter of 2019.
Of those who have stopped working or are looking for work due to long-term illness, the ONS analysis shows that 38 percent reported having five or more health problems – a total of 937,000 people.
Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that more than 2.5 million people were out of work due to ill health in the first three months of 2023 – an increase of 400,000 since the start of the pandemic
Rates of depression in the UK are at an all-time high, with the condition affecting one in six adults. Women are also twice as likely to have it as men
“This suggests that many people have interconnected and complex health problems, which could mean they have more than one health barrier that hinders their return to the world of work,” said Darren Morgan, ONS director of economic statistics production and analysis. .
The most common problems among those out of work due to ill health were ‘depression, bad nerves or anxiety’, with more than 1.3 million people reporting these reasons – a 40 percent increase in four years.
Mr Morgan added: ‘The majority of these people reported it as a secondary health condition rather than their main one.’
Rates of depression in the UK are at an all-time high, with the condition affecting one in six adults. Women are also twice as likely to have it as men.
‘Other health problems’ – a category that also includes lung covid – increased by 53 percent to 754,000. Back, neck and other musculoskeletal problems are also common and have increased by about a quarter.
ONS analysts said an aging population accounted for only about 40,000 of the more than 400,000 surge in people living with long-term illness.
Instead, it highlighted the number of people waiting for NHS treatment, which rose from 4.6 million in January 2020 to 7.4 million in May.