When economists come to write the history of the first half of the 21st century, after combing through the Great Recession, the rise of China and the Covid-19 pandemic, I wonder how they’ll reflect on what is still, at least to us, the future of work. And specifically, worklessness.
The total number of days lost by British workers to sickness has risen to an all-time high, according to the Stakhanovites at the Office for National Statistics. Around 185.6 million working days were lost in 2022, up nearly a quarter on the year before. At the same time, the overall rate of absence due to sickness or injury hit an 18-year high.
