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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Richard Partington Economics correspondent

Exodus of more than half a million from workforce ‘puts UK economy at risk’

Crowd of London commuters walking away.
London commuters. The Lords report suggests early retirement among 50- to 64-year-olds is the key driver of rising economic inactivity. Photograph: Johnny Greig/Getty Images/iStockphoto

An exodus of more than half a million people from the British workforce since the Covid pandemic is putting the economy at risk of weaker growth and persistently higher inflation, a Lords report has warned.

The House of Lords economic affairs committee said the sharp rise in economic inactivity – when working-age adults are neither in employment nor looking for a job – since the onset of the health emergency was posing “serious challenges” to the economy.

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