Economic inactivity linked to poor health could cost UK £36 billion a year, warns RSPH 

The number of adults leaving the UK workforce due to long-term health conditions is projected to rise sharply over the next decade, costing the economy as much as £36 billion a year, according to new analysis from the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH). 

The RSPH report warns that, by 2035, as many as 3.37 million adults could be economically inactive because of health-related issues – a 26 per cent increase on current levels. 

The rise in long-term sickness absence is being fuelled by conditions including musculoskeletal disorders, mental health problems and cardiovascular disease. 
RSPH’s analysis builds on previous findings that 10 million UK workers have no access to any form of health support through their employer. The society estimates that 185 million working days are lost to ill health each year, at a total cost of £100 billion to the economy. 

RSPH Chief Executive, William Roberts, said the figures underline a critical need to rethink how health is supported at work: 

“Workplaces are an underused setting for prevention. We need to move away from treating health as an external issue and see good work as a foundation for good health.” 

To tackle the crisis, RSPH is calling for a “fundamental shift” in the way both employers and policymakers view workplace health, arguing that better support could help people with long-term conditions to stay in work and even prevent ill health from developing in the first place. 

Its recommendations include: 

• Creating a national health and work standard, establishing a minimum level of health support for all UK workers. 

• Upskilling line managers so they can identify and support employees at risk of leaving work due to poor health. 

• Encouraging employers to treat health as a strategic priority rather than an HR function. 

• Launch of new employer network 

Later this month, RSPH will launch a Health and Work Network – a new initiative bringing together employers committed to improving workforce health and sharing best practice across sectors. 

The network will act as a forum for collaboration, practical guidance and peer learning, aligning with the society’s broader mission to make workplace wellbeing a cornerstone of public health. 

RSPH said its goal is clear: to ensure that “every business is equipped to do more for the health of its workforce”. 

Economic inactivity due to ill health has reached record highs in the UK, with long-term conditions now the leading cause of workforce loss. RSPH’s analysis highlights the growing intersection between employment, public health and productivity, and the urgent need for coordinated action. 

Without intervention, the society warns, the UK could face a decade of rising absenteeism, widening inequalities, and sustained pressure on both the NHS and the economy.