Rise in proportion of people too ill to work who have multiple health conditions

Nearly four in 10 people in the UK not able to work due to long-term sickness are suffering from multiple health conditions, a higher proportion than before the Covid-19 pandemic, new analysis suggests.

More than 2.5 million people are currently estimated to have stopped working or are not looking for work due to long-term illness, up by over 400,000 since the start of 2020.

The rise has continued even though the overall number of individuals in the UK workforce classed as “economically inactive” has been falling for several months.

Some 38% of those unable to work due to long-term sickness in January to March 2023 – 937,000 people – were likely to have five or more health conditions, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This is up from 34% in the equivalent period in 2019.

The figures “suggest that many people have interlinked and complex health issues, which might mean that they have more than one health barrier to hinder their return to the world of work,” according to ONS analyst Darren Morgan.

The most prevalent condition is depression, bad nerves or anxiety, with more than half of those inactive due to long-term sickness (53%) reporting this in January to March 2023.

This compares with 12% of the working-age population as a whole.

Most of those with depression, bad nerves or anxiety reported it as a secondary health condition rather than their main one, however.

There are “clear patterns” when looking at combinations of health conditions among people not working or looking for work due to long-term sickness, the ONS found.

More than two-thirds (70%) of those with a main health condition that was musculoskeletal in nature – such as problems with back or neck – reported having more than one type of these conditions.

Some 58% of those with back or neck problems as their main health condition also reported having issues with their legs or feet, while 56% of people with mental illness as their main health condition also said they suffered from depression, bad nerves or anxiety.

“It is for others to decide what the policy response should be, but our new figures shine a light on an important issue holding people back from returning to work,” Mr Morgan added.