Surprisingly, younger workers are more likely to be off work due to ill-health than the older workforce. Corey Edwards looks at the figures and how to address the issue.
Which age group is most likely to be off work with ill-health?
Many people might assume that older workers are more likely to be off than younger workers, but they may want to think again.
A recent report from the Resolution Foundation reaffirmed that younger people are disproportionately more likely to be not working due to ill-health. Shockingly, their research found there’s a better chance someone in their early 20s won’t be working because of their health than someone in their early 40s.
This report shows more than a third of people aged 18 to 24 report symptoms of depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder, with more than half-a-million from that age group being prescribed antidepressants in 2021-22.
Additional factors, such as the pressures of social media and the shortages and unaffordability of housing, clearly correlate between health and employment. Young people entering the workplace lack experience and find themselves in more precarious jobs with inferior employment rights (certain protections only kick in after two years of employment). In the post-pandemic world, new workers are less likely to be physically on-site every day, with reduced levels of support, regular check-ins, and the opportunity to form bonds.
Employers must address such concerns, and good occupational safety and health practices can be integral in achieving this. More than a quarter of working-age Britons are presently unemployed or economically inactive (long-term sickness being the most common reason), and with the current trajectory, that problem looks like it’s here to stay.
We must prevent the workers of today from becoming the economically inactive of tomorrow. This aligns with the Government’s priorities of growing the economy, cutting NHS waiting lists, and reducing debt.
It is in the interest of employers to better fund occupational safety and health for their workers, notably younger workers, to retain talent. A 2022 Deloitte study showed 45 per cent of young people (aged 18-29) indicated they had either intentionally left their job in the past 12 months or were planning to do so, with 65 per cent of them suggesting their decision was driven by poor mental health.
IOSH advocates a prevention-first approach to keeping people in work. We encourage the development of a minimum framework for quality occupational health provision, plus access to work coaches, physiotherapy, and mental health treatment. While we wish the Government every success in launching programmes to bring people back to work, we urge it to revisit progressing the much-needed Employment Bill and the draft Mental Health Act Reform Bill.
We must also address the growing need for better mental health support for young people before they enter the workforce. The latest pre-Budget news that the government is to invest £8 million in a national network of expanded mental health hubs for children and young people is very welcome. We also welcome promises made by Labour’s shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting MP, to deliver 8,500 mental health professionals and commit £750 million to fund mental health support in every school.
Early intervention is key to resolving this mental health crisis, but the help that’s offered needs to be comprehensive and consistent – there should be no question of there being a postcode lottery.
Poor mental health costs UK employers up to £45 billion a year through absenteeism, presenteeism, and staff turnover. Yet studies have shown that every £1 invested by employers in the mental health of their people brings a return, and that return can be as much as £5. We’ll continue at IOSH to call for investment in good occupational safety and health practice because it yields valuable returns. It should never be seen as an avoidable cost.
