Solving the puzzle of economic inactivity

The challenge

The UK economy is being held back by high levels of economic inactivity post-pandemic. The biggest driver behind that is ill health, which has risen to record highs. UK firms currently lose 131 million working days due to sickness and that’s the equivalent of around £180bn in lost economic output.

The opportunity

Since the pandemic, employers’ focus on health has been seen as the key both to creating labour market resilience and prosperity and also attracting and retaining talent. Our own data has shown  health and wellbeing is firms’ top ED&I priority.

Many firms are already making important health interventions, offering free health screening and workplace ergonomic assessments, or employee assistance programmes and in-house primary care services. They have the potential to reduce the workforce disease burden by 20% in 2030. And by working together with government to harness this action, it could contribute a further £36bn to the economy.

The taskforce

The CBI, together with the Health Foundation and Trades Union Congress (TUC), has launched a Health and Work taskforce to recommend and implement industry and government interventions which will drive long-term health benefits for the working population. By doing so, it hopes to address current and future economic inactivity due to poor ill health.

The taskforce will be attended by senior industry representatives, third sector organisations and senior government officials to explore and turn the potential of business intervention on health among the working population into a reality.

It will be looking at the action UK industry can take to improve the health of their workforces and the working age population – as well as what government can do in terms of signalling, frameworks and incentivisation to support a whole economy approach to valuing proactive health investment.

The taskforce will:

• Convene officials, regulators and industry leaders to draw upon their expertise for an 8–12-week period.
• Identify levers that the government and industry can pull within 18 months to support the health of the working age population and reset the UK’s trajectory on societal ill-health.
• Provide practical solutions for costing and consideration at the Autumn Statement.

It’s recommendations will be revealed at CBI’s inaugural Healthier Nation Conference this September.

Find out more

Read the CBI’s media response.

You can also contact Andy or Lydia for further information.