Last week the CIPD published the 2025 Good Work Index. The theme of this year’s report is the health of the UK workforce, a subject also under scrutiny in the government’s Keep Britain Working review published in March. What new data and insights are provided for employers in these two reports on the health of the workforce?
The importance of keeping Britain working
Let’s first look at the March report “Keep Britain Working”. This document highlights some very concerning workforce health issues for the UK economy. For instance:
- More than 800,000 people of working age are currently economically inactive for health reasons.
- There has been a 40% increase in the above number since 2019. This represents a growth rate ten times faster than that of the working age population.
- There has been a surge in “work limiting” health conditions in the last decade. The largest increases have been amongst young people (aged 16-34) and older workers (50-64). Specifically, there were increases of 530,000 younger people whose main health condition was mental health related, and 140,000 older people whose main condition was musculoskeletal.
- If the above trends continue then another 600,000 people could become economically inactive by 2030.
The stark reality is that these figures represent a massive headwind for the United Kingdom. The damage to health and aspiration for individual workers is potentially devastating. The financial and economic loss to the nation equally horrendous. Indeed, the report suggests that the additional welfare cost could amount to an eye-watering £25bn by 2030.
And these problems extend to employers also. The report highlights:
“There are now around 8.7 million people across the working age population who report living with a work-limiting condition”
“it is likely employers already have members of their workforce who are living and working with a work-limiting health condition”
“health and disability are just as much an in-work issue as they are an economic inactivity issue.”
The Good Work Index
The CIPD’s 2025 Good Work Index also raises many of the above concerns. Importantly this report looks directly at the health impact on working populations. Key findings include:
- A quarter (25%) of employees said that work had impacted their mental health. A similar number (24%) said that work had harmed their physical health.
- These numbers were echoed and magnified by disabled workers (32% and 33% respectively).
- In the last year more than 4 in 10 workers had experienced a mental (42%) or physical (46%) health issue.
Other issues
These problems do not exist in isolation. Last year The Darzi Report indicated that average healthy life expectancy had dropped to around age 62. This suggests that more older workers will suffer ill health, not least because state retirement age has risen to age 67 for both sexes.
England in particular faces additional challenges. A near-record high NHS waiting list coupled with delays to Social Care reform are huge concerns. This suggests that the challenges of workforce health will remain a major concern for the remainder of this decade.
Employer response
So how should employers respond to these two reports on the health of the workforce?
Firstly, the need to provide practical support on all aspects of the employee wellbeing triangle becomes even more important. We would strongly encourage employers to review their employee benefits offering to ensure that every facet of that programme is used to support workers.
Yet prevention remains better than cure. Accordingly, employers looking to support workforce wellbeing should improve their worker health surveillance.
We would strongly encourage employers to introduce pre-employment health questionnaires and undertake annual wellbeing surveys. Medical check-ups and occupational health assessments should also be more widely used as preventative measures.
The stark reality is that the health of the UK workforce remains a major concern. Employers should do all they can to minimise this risk. Please feel free to contact one of our specialist team to discuss any aspect of the above.
About Occupational Health Assessment Ltd – a nationwide occupational health provider
Occupational Health Assessment Ltd provides rapid access to expert occupational health support for businesses across the UK. Appointments are available nationwide within two days.
With a unique occupational health assessment service, night worker health assessments, fitness certifications and access to clinics in Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Northampton, Nottingham, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke, Surrey and more, the business provides high quality, expert medical advice.
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