More than 1million workers in the UK are likely to resign in the next year due to illness or poor mental health, a damning study suggests.
The fragility of the workforce provides a ‘direct challenge’ to the Government’s ambition to grow the economy and boost living standards, the Work Foundation warns.
Researchers found the results are ‘particularly concerning’ among younger workers, where there is a risk a new generation will be ‘scarred by unemployment and economic inactivity’.
The Foundation’s experts, based at Lancaster University, analysed polling data on 3,796 workers across the UK on their health and employment.
They found one in 17 (6 per cent) believe they will leave their job in the next 12 months due to their health, with these employees seeking a role that is less stressful or quitting the workforce altogether.
Overall, 20 per cent of UK workers say they are in poor health and these are twice as likely to expect they will not be in employment in three years’ time.
Young workers aged 16 to 24 are 1.5 times more likely to report poor mental health than any other age group, with a rate of 23 per cent.
They are also the most likely to report that their job negatively impacts their mental health (34 per cent), with 43 per cent worried that their declining health could push them out of work in the future.
More than 1million workers in the UK are likely to resign in the next year due to illness or poor mental health
The researchers say jobs should be ‘redesigned’, with firms expanding access to flexible working, occupational health services and more generous sick pay in order to keep employees in their roles.
They also want stronger employments rights and protections and improved access to NHS mental health service, tailored support for those out of work and a ‘guarantee’ that all young people have the ability to take up ‘good quality work’.
The report will be launched at the Work and Health Summit in London today [TUE].
Ben Harrison, director of the Work Foundation, said: ‘This new analysis suggests that without additional support, we could see a new generation scarred by unemployment and economic inactivity in the early years of their working lives.
‘This could have major implications for communities, employers and local economies across the UK.
‘Similar risks can also be observed for those on low incomes and those already in poor health.
‘Without a national reset on health and work that expands access to flexible working, occupational health services and tailored employment support, many more workers could potentially leave work early due to ill health.
‘This will provide a direct challenge to the Government’s ambition to grow the economy and boost living standards.’
The fragility of the workforce provides a ‘direct challenge’ to the Government’s ambition to grow the economy and boost living standards
Workers on low incomes are significantly less likely than those on high or middle incomes to have access to job conditions known to support good health, the report reveals.
Just half (53 per cent) of low-income workers (earning less than £25,000) are given paid time off for medical appointments – and only 46 per cent feel confident taking sick leave when they need it
Professor Stavroula Leka, of Lancaster University, said: ‘The wave of workers leaving the labour market prematurely is not going to stop unless health is prioritised in the workplace.
‘With younger workers and those on low incomes being particularly hard hit, action needs to be taken quickly to improve prospects and experiences before lasting damage is done.’
It comes as separate research by Unison found NHS 999 staff are quitting and suffering burnout caused by the ‘relentless pressure’ of calls.
Figures obtained from ambulance services by the union showed high turnover rates among call handlers, which staff say are often over a lack of support and the non-stop, often distressing, calls that force many to take sick leave.
A report to be launched at the union’s annual conference in Liverpool today [TUE] will reveal the toll taken on the workforce, with more than a quarter of NHS ambulance control room staff quitting their jobs over the past three years.
According to the research, more than half a million days were lost to call handler illness in the three years from April 2021.
The figure for 2023/24 alone was 166,940 – the equivalent of more than a month of sick leave for each 999 call handler.
One in ten people of working age – around 4million adults – receive health-related benefits in England and Wales.
This is up 38 per cent from 2.8million people in just four years, according to previous research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Over this period, real-terms spending on incapacity or disability handouts has increased by a third, from £36billion to £48billion and is expected to hit £63billion by 2028.
Ministers are preparing to slash disability benefits for 800,000 claimants by an average of £4,500 a year, saying it is necessary to make cuts to rein in sickness spending.
