NHS backlogs and Covid leave long-term sick level at record high
2 years, 2 months ago

NHS backlogs and Covid leave long-term sick level at record high

The Telegraph  

James Smith, ING economist, said that it is “hard to escape the conclusion that this is at least partly linked to delays in the NHS”. He said: “The increasing economic inactivity rate, now standing at 21.7pc, should be a cause for concern.” The UK jobs market has been extremely tight this year as businesses battle for workers. The tightness in the labour market has stoked wage pressures but households are still suffering a huge real terms squeeze as pay fails to keep pace with the highest inflation in 40 years. Victoria Prentis, minister at the Department for Work and Pensions, said the figures “show the strength of our labour market” but admitted action is needed to lure more back into the workforce. She said: “To support economic growth it is vital we encourage workers into the labour market, making the most of the skills and experience this country holds whilst tackling the barriers jobseekers face.”

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History of this topic

Shrinking workforce costing taxpayers £16bn a year
3 months, 1 week ago

Shrinking workforce costing taxpayers £16bn a year

The Telegraph  

Britain’s worklessness crisis is costing taxpayers £16bn a year through lost tax revenue and an inflated benefits bill, top economists have warned. The Institute for Employment Studies and the Commission on the Future of Employment Support warned that the country’s workforce was shrinking at the fastest rate since the 1980s, leading to a shortfall in employment-related taxes. “The UK is …

How broken NHS is fuelling Britain’s worklessness crisis
3 months, 1 week ago

How broken NHS is fuelling Britain’s worklessness crisis

The Telegraph  

The broken NHS is not only failing its patients – it is also fuelling Britain’s worklessness crisis. A landmark report into the health service’s shortcomings has revealed that more than half of the 6.4 million people on an NHS waiting list are of working age. At the same time, a record 2.8 million people are on long-term sick leave – …

'Burnt out' health workers take record number of sick days as Scotland's NHS crisis deepens
4 months, 1 week ago

'Burnt out' health workers take record number of sick days as Scotland's NHS crisis deepens

Daily Mail  

Record numbers of NHS staff are going off work sick amid the crisis engulfing Scotland’s NHS. The sickness absence rate was 6.21 per cent across the NHS at the end of March, the highest on record It follows warnings from medical and dental leaders that the SNP’s high taxes and NHS working conditions will push doctors into other jobs or …

Pay rising too fast for interest rate cut, economists warn
10 months, 1 week ago

Pay rising too fast for interest rate cut, economists warn

The Telegraph  

The number of people kept out of the jobs market by long-term sickness remains near an all-time high, ONS figures showed. One person in every 15 of working age – 6.6pc, equivalent to 2.8 million people – said ill health kept them from working or from looking for a job in the final quarter of 2023. Government must do more …

Sicknote Britain: Numbers long-term ill hits another record high of 2.8m in the wake of Covid
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Sicknote Britain: Numbers long-term ill hits another record high of 2.8m in the wake of Covid

Daily Mail  

The number of Brits off long-term sick has hit a new record high in the wake of Covid. Some 2.813million people were in the long-term sick category in the three months to November, according to revised official figures The cause of increasing long-term sickness is unclear, although factors such as long Covid, mental fallout from lockdowns, and even back problems …

The silent crisis crippling Britain’s public finances
1 year, 5 months ago

The silent crisis crippling Britain’s public finances

The Telegraph  

Among those who are not working because of sickness, almost 620,000 cite mental health problems as the cause, a jump of more than one-third from just under 460,000 a decade ago. As well as infecting millions, the pandemic also overwhelmed parts of the health service, delayed treatment for other conditions and contributed to vast waiting lists – meaning those who …

Record number of workers on long-term sickness ahead of Hunt’s ‘back-to-work’ Budget
1 year, 9 months ago

Record number of workers on long-term sickness ahead of Hunt’s ‘back-to-work’ Budget

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The number of Britons off …

Record numbers of long-term sick as Hunt prepares back-to-work Budget
1 year, 9 months ago

Record numbers of long-term sick as Hunt prepares back-to-work Budget

The Telegraph  

The number of people forced out of the labour market because of long-term sickness has hit a new record, as Jeremy Hunt prepares to unveil his “back to work” Budget. Mr Hunt is expected to announce sanctions and incentives targeting early retirees, parents and people with health problems in an effort to expand Britain’s labour force. ONS figures show that …

Britain’s workforce to shrink permanently in wake of pandemic, says Bank of England
1 year, 10 months ago

Britain’s workforce to shrink permanently in wake of pandemic, says Bank of England

The Telegraph  

Policymakers raised interest rates from 3.5pc to 4pc and signalled they were nearing a peak. The Bank also said an estimated 1.7 million mortgages will reach the end of their fixed-rate term this 2023, with these households facing an average monthly increase of £250 when their current deal ends. Andrew Bailey, the Bank's Governor, said that while it was too …

Britain's NHS nightmare: How COVID-19, cost-cutting and burnout pushed the UK's health system to the brink
1 year, 11 months ago

Britain's NHS nightmare: How COVID-19, cost-cutting and burnout pushed the UK's health system to the brink

ABC  

In a frantic hospital hall in northern England, a 92-year-old woman lay unwell on a trolley waiting for 33 hours to be taken to a bed. "Emergency medicine in the NHS is facing one of its most challenging times in our history," Dr Ian Higginson, vice-president at the Royal College of Emergency Medicine told ABC News. "We're unable to offload …

Failure to help long Covid sufferers could add billions to benefits bill
1 year, 11 months ago

Failure to help long Covid sufferers could add billions to benefits bill

The Independent  

The government’s failure to support people with long Covid could be adding billions of pounds a year to the benefits bill, Labour has warned. “Long Covid has forced more people out of work, with devastating consequences for their livelihoods,” said Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow work and pensions secretary. And a report by the Lords’ economic affairs committee found that long …

Britain’s sickness crisis is damaging the economy and will only get worse
2 years, 1 month ago

Britain’s sickness crisis is damaging the economy and will only get worse

The Telegraph  

“NHS backlogs and long COVID seem to be making a contribution to the increase in poor health,” says David Finch at the Health Foundation, “ this is something that's been happening over the longer term where gradually we've been seeing a rise in the number of people with long term sickness.” He adds: “Some of this is demographic change where …

Unemployment may soon dip below 3 per cent and is set to stay below 5 per cent for years to come
2 years, 4 months ago

Unemployment may soon dip below 3 per cent and is set to stay below 5 per cent for years to come

ABC  

Unfathomably, Australia's unemployment rate has sunk to 3.5 per cent. In the years before COVID, typically 3 per cent of the workforce worked less than usual hours in any given week as a result of illness or injury. In the half century we have been collecting modern employment statistics, unemployment has shot up dramatically three times: in the mid-1970s, when …

The workers battling long Covid
2 years, 6 months ago

The workers battling long Covid

BBC  

The workers battling long Covid Getty Images Although many people recover from Covid-19 quickly, not all do. Long Covid isn’t just testing the medical system; in the workplace, many employees like Brandon have been forced to push through their symptoms, scale back responsibilities or leave jobs altogether. ‘It’s like being in a time warp’ ‘Long Covid’ – the term initially …

The big reason the US and UK are facing such a massive labor shortage
2 years, 10 months ago

The big reason the US and UK are facing such a massive labor shortage

CNN  

Editor’s Note: This article has been edited from its original version. New IMF staff research uses granular data on employment and vacancies in the US and the UK to assess four commonly held explanations: The effect of generous income support on willingness to seek and take up jobs A mismatch between the types of jobs that are available and the …

UK job vacancies hit record high amid worker shortages
3 years, 2 months ago

UK job vacancies hit record high amid worker shortages

Associated Press  

LONDON — Job vacancies in the U.K. rose to a record high of nearly 1.2 million, official figures showed Tuesday, a further sign that the British economy is experiencing worker shortages in an array of sectors as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and Britain’s departure from the European Union. Following weeks of long lines at gas stations as motorists …

Australia's unemployment rate falls below 5 per cent for the first time in 10 years
3 years, 5 months ago

Australia's unemployment rate falls below 5 per cent for the first time in 10 years

ABC  

With the unemployment rate hitting its lowest level in a decade, you would expect the federal government to be celebrating loudly. Key points: Unemployment rate falls to 4.9 per cent, from 5.1 per cent It's the lowest unemployment rate in a decade The lockdowns in New South Wales will impact the jobs data in coming months But Prime Minister Scott …

Unemployment is back near pre-pandemic levels. A CBA economist says missing foreign workers are one reason why
3 years, 6 months ago

Unemployment is back near pre-pandemic levels. A CBA economist says missing foreign workers are one reason why

ABC  

We know employment in Australia has rebounded strongly from the recession. He says the monthly labour force data is excluding a vital element of Australia's labour force: foreign workers who've been working in Australia for less than 12 months. He says short-term foreign workers, as a share of total workers, has been fairly stable for the last 20 years, sitting …

Coronavirus: UK job losses hit decade-high, worse seen ahead
4 years, 4 months ago

Coronavirus: UK job losses hit decade-high, worse seen ahead

India Today  

The number of people in work in Britain has suffered the biggest drop since 2009 and signs are growing that the coronavirus will take a heavier toll on the labour market as the government winds down its huge job-protection scheme. Mounting job losses are expected as Britain winds down its job-retention scheme, which has covered around one in three private-sector …

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