There has been an alarming increase in health-related economic inactivity among British women. New analysis from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) shows the number of women removed from the labor market due to long-term sickness has hit 1.5 million.
To put that in perspective, the U.K.’s total working-age population—female or male—is somewhat over 42 million.
Instances of long-term sickness among women have spiked 48% in the last five years, an astonishing rise that accounts for the majority of the overall increase in long-term sickness across the British labor force.
Back and neck pain
The biggest driver of that increase has been rising instances of musculoskeletal issues, specifically back and neck pain.
While some chief executives might point a finger at the post-pandemic prevalence of working from home—which for some office workers can mean slouching on their sofa or perching awkwardly at the kitchen table—the TUC blamed longer waiting lists on the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) for the increase in work absences.
The NHS has long been in turmoil with accusations of understaffing and underfunding from the government. The TUC’s analysis suggests those issues may be having ramifications in the labor market.
Indeed, the increase in long-term sickness in the last five years has corresponded with a doubling in the number of people on hospital waiting lists for treatment.
Waiting lists haven’t recovered since the COVID-19 pandemic plunged the country’s state-run health service into turmoil, with the number of people waiting for treatment stubbornly fixed at 7.5 million.
The number waiting for musculoskeletal care specifically has risen 15% in the 15 months to March.
While it’s premature to say increased time on waiting lists led to the rise in sign-offs, or that they shared a common cause, it would be a reasonable hypothesis that the two factors are not unrelated.
Women’s mental health is getting worse too
In any case, it adds to a growing mental health crisis among women in the U.K.—particularly among younger women—which itself has become an increasingly significant contributor to economic inactivity.
Research from the U.K. think tank Resolution Foundation found two out of five young women were likely to report a common mental disorder, which includes things like anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder.
Some mental health problems can manifest in other physiological issues, mirrored in a social media trend acknowledging stomach problems among women.
There are many theories behind the spike in this figure, with blame being leveled at both the COVID-19 pandemic and Gen Z being the first generation to grow up immersed in smartphones and social media.
Whatever the cause, the Resolution Foundation found that Gen Z were now more likely to call in sick to work than Gen Xers 20 years their senior.
The TUC thinks the fastest way to solve this spiraling problem lies in addressing the U.K.’s beleaguered health system, placing more emphasis on the prevention of mental health problems.
“Instead of stigmatizing people who are too ill to work, the government should be laser-focused on improving access to treatment and preventing people from becoming too sick to work in the first place,” TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said.
“It means improving the quality of work in this country – so that women are not disproportionately trapped in low-paid, insecure jobs.”
The consequences
Taken together, the figures suggest the U.K.’s working-age women are sickening at a time when the country is already struggling with an aging population, and it’s affecting the economy.
Speaking to Fortune, Morgan Stanley’s chief economist for Europe, Jens Eisenschmidt, said a tighter labor force—exacerbated by talent shortages—might help explain why the U.K. was struggling to bring down inflation compared with its European counterparts.
Eisenschmidt says the U.K. will become reliant on immigration to supplement a lack of younger workers, and it will be competing for talent with other Western countries to address that gap.
If working in the country is making people sick, then winning that war for talent might prove challenging.