U.K.’s legion of missing workers and quiet quitters is costing the economy nearly $400 billion, adding to a productivity crisis it can’t seem to escape

people in a frantic discussion around a table (Credit: skynesher—Getty Images)

The U.K.’s economy is in trouble—and the workers who make it are a big reason why.

Since the pandemic, a growing number of working-age adults in Britain, aged 16 to 64 years, have chosen against employment.