At least half a million employees in the United Kingdom have been at home with long-term health problems since the corona crisis. That is an increase of a quarter compared to the number before the pandemic, statistics agency ONS reports.
The statistical office, similar to the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics, reports that about 2.5 million people could not work this summer due to a long-term illness. At the beginning of 2019, before the corona crisis, that number was still about 2 million. The increase is said to be partly due to mental health problems, especially among young people.
In addition to young people, ONS also sees an increase in specific sectors. Retail, transport and the hospitality industry were hit the hardest. About ten out of 10,000 people working in those sectors are at home because of ill health. That’s double the UK average. Staff for whom it was more challenging to work from home also suffer from health problems relatively more often.
ONS states that waiting lists in the British health care system, the long-term effects of corona and an ageing population among British workers can further fuel the loss of staff.
