Figures suggest long Covid, poor mental health and back problems are among the ailments most commonly attributed to Britons not working.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), a record 2.8 million people have a long-term illness.
The total – from September to November of last year – is more than double the 1.3 million registered as unemployed and represents 6.6 percent of people between 16 and 64 years old nationwide.
This means that 9.3 million Britons are now “economically inactive”.
While the latest ONS report sheds no light on why a growing number of Brits are not working, separate data from last year revealed the common culprits.
Of those economically inactive due to a long-term health complication, around 320,000 said the main condition was a mental illness, suffering from phobias or other nervous disorders.
A similar proportion blamed depression, bad nerves or anxiety (315,000).
This figure increased by 15 percent from pre-pandemic levels, with lockdowns and the aftermath of Covid triggering a rise in these problems.
Meanwhile, musculoskeletal problems were also a leading cause of economic inactivity and have increased by more than a quarter since the pandemic.
These include conditions affecting the back or neck (285,000), legs or feet (193,000) and arms or hands (115,000).
However, most people fall into “other” unspecified health or disability problems.
The group includes long Covid, the term for anyone who suffers long-lasting symptoms of the virus, such as brain fog and muscle aches.
It was estimated that around 2 million Britons were suffering from the condition in March. But that figure is controversial, given that it is based on self-reported data.
The figures, published by the ONS in July, reflect the main illness that long-term patients claim to suffer from.
Nearly two in five economically inactive people (38 percent of 937,000 people) reported having five or more health problems.
The ONS said this suggests many have “complex and interrelated health problems”.
Its updated figures, published yesterday, show that only 641,000 of the 2.8 million long-term sick people wanted a job.
The ONS defines a person as economically inactive if they are not employed and have not looked for work in the last four weeks and/or cannot start work within the next fortnight.
Long-term illness numbers have risen steadily since 2019 and are now at an all-time high.
The ONS defines a person as economically inactive if they are not employed and have not looked for work in the last four weeks and/or cannot start work within the next fortnight.
The Government defines employees who are on sick leave for more than four weeks as long-term sick.
Hannah Slaughter, of the Resolution Foundation, a think tank, said: ‘Britain has a larger, but sicker, workforce than we previously thought.
‘Particularly worrying is the fact that there are currently a record 2.8 million people in the country inactive due to health problems.
“Tackling the rise in ill health is a huge social and economic challenge that we will face throughout the 2020s, as will getting UK employment back up to and above pre-lockdown levels.” pandemic”.
Critics have called on the Government to “tackle the problem head-on” in a bid to shed the notion of a sick nation.
John O’Connell, of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “With almost three million people out of work due to long-term illness, it is not difficult to understand why we are called ‘Sick Britain.’
‘Social care should be a safety net for those going through tough times, but too often it is seen as an alternative to work.
“Getting people back into work is not only good for taxpayers but also for the people affected, so ministers need to tackle this issue head-on before costs really get out of control.”
It comes against a backdrop of rising chronic diseases: 36 percent of all working-age people report living with at least one long-term health condition, up from 31 percent in the first quarter of 2019.
Experts have blamed long waits for NHS treatment, with 7.6 million people queuing for routine hospital care.
Others have pointed to the explosion of working from home after the pandemic, which may be fueling muscle, back and joint problems.
According to experts, poor posture and less movement and exercise (such as not having to walk to work or get around the office) can lead to musculoskeletal problems.