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Older And Sicker Workforce Forecast For UK 2030

A new report analysing the future opportunities and challenges for workplace health in the UK has been launched. 'Healthy Work' sets out how trends in the demography and economy of the UK, and the changing nature of work and the evolution of disease, will affect the health of the workforce.

Click here to download the reportThe report, published in partnership with The Work Foundation, The Oxford Health Alliance and RAND Europe, brings together more than 200 pieces of research to provide an insight into how the health of British workers will change over the next 20 years. The study estimates that the average age of the workforce will reach 43, while 68 will become the average age of retirement by 2050. The increasing age of the workforce will be one factor fuelling rates of ill health. Musculoskeletal disease will rise by 8 per cent to affect more than seven million people, while heart disease will rise by 11 per cent to affect more than a million. Rates of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and asthma are all likely to increase sharply. And rates of mental illness will rise by 5 per cent to 4.2 million.

The report is part of an 18-month project that private healthcare firm Bupa is leading, in partnership with The Work Foundation, RAND Europe and The Oxford Health Alliance, to identify ways to improve the effectiveness of workplace health in the UK.

The second report of the project will summarise the available evidence on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of health at work interventions and make recommendations on how employers, the Government, individuals and providers of workplace health can respond to the challenges and opportunities set out in Healthy Work.

An ageing workforce and higher rates of illness and disease among employees will pose a serious threat to British business by 2030, a report has warned. Private healthcare company Bupa estimates the number of workers with chronic conditions will rise by at least 7 per cent to more than four million. Rates of mental illness and serious diseases, such as heart problems, will also soar.

The executive report warns:

“The health of the UK workforce is vital to the economy. The Confederation of British Industry estimates that every year days lost due to sickness absence alone cost the economy nearly £14 billion. The costs to society are even greater. In her review of the health of the working age population, Dame Carol Black, National Director for Health and Work, found that the annual costs of sickness absence and worklessness associated with working age ill-health are over £100 billion.”

The report continues with a stark warning:

“And the situation is likely to get worse. The UK workforce of the future will be older and sicker, and the nature of illness will change so more people will be living and working in ill-health. At the same time, interventions in the workplace will become increasingly important for productivity and public health; and changes in the society and culture of the UK are likely to mean that more people will be engaging in lifestyle behaviours that increase their risk of disease.”

The Work Foundation is an independent research consultancy advising organisations and policymakers about the changing world of work and corporate performance.

Stephen Bevan, Managing Director, says in the report:

“The health of the working-age population will be a critical factor in the UK’s competitiveness as we emerge from recession. This important report highlights the need to see modern workplaces as the focus for efforts to improve the physical and psychological wellbeing of workers and makes a vital contribution to a very current debate. By taking a long-term view, and by emphasising the role that ‘Good Work’ can play in enhancing employee health, this report shows that we need to attend to both the symptoms and the underlying causes of ill-health in the UK workforce. One of the most noteworthy findings is that the burden of chronic disease in the UK is set to grow in significance. This represents both an economic and social challenge of severe proportions – yet the UK’s workplaces can play a major role in mitigating the risks this trend poses.”

Source: Work Foundation / BUPA / TUC Risks / BBC News On-Line



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