More people have claimed unemployment benefits in the first four months of this year than ever before, according to statistics published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Health experts have warned that whichever party oversees benefits will have to break the “vicious cycle” that is leaving more and more people too sick to work.
The number of new applications for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) sickness and disability benefit grew to a record 250,000 in the first quarter of 2024, with 84 percent of applicants (210,000) approved for the benefit. Researchers from Lancaster University recently attributed the increase in the number of cases to the conditions in which many sick or disabled Britons find themselves.
Alice Martin, head of research at the university’s Work Foundation, has argued that this rise in absenteeism could be linked to poor working conditions. She says: “The truth is that our staff are getting sicker and yet not everyone is getting the time off they need to survive. healthy lives. The current low sick pay forces some people to work while sick to make ends meet. “
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More than half of Britain’s 1.1 million workers who do not earn enough to qualify for statutory sick pay are women, while a third are disabled. The research found that this lack of access to an appropriate level of sick pay, the lower number of regular days off and the lack of planning for routes back to work all contribute to the 2.83 million people living in are of working age but have now quit their jobs. due to poor health.
This disease spike is an increase of almost half since 2021. Alice Martin further explained: “This risks exacerbating existing health problems and could lead to people leaving the workforce altogether.
“We currently have a record 2.83 million people in Britain who are economically inactive due to long-term health conditions – and our previous research suggests that many of these people want to work but are not getting the support they need to do so.”
The DWP launched a crackdown on disability benefits just a few months ago, amid early warning signs that PIP claims were increasing. Aiming to consult on policies that would see the payment scrapped and converted to an equipment voucher, many disability activists had criticized the government’s plans – which have now been scrapped ahead of the general election.
What the research showed
The Lancaster University team’s research into economy-wide employment statistics and practices revealed Victorian-style working conditions for many people on lower wages – with many forced to work longer hours to make ends meet while they lived with a disability or medical condition that is only made worse by their working hours.
This is even reflected in the statistics on how much free time certain classes within society get each year to rest, recover and enjoy life outside of work. Further analysis showed that in 2022, workers with an above-average income of £32,882 per year or more were entitled to an average of two days more annual leave than workers on lower incomes.
Nearly a third (32%) of those earning above average were entitled to annual leave of more than 30 days. While the same benefit is only available to a quarter of those on a low income (25.4%).
This can create a ‘vicious circle’, as people with lower incomes and insecure working lives have to risk their health by having less time off from work due to holidays and other forms of leave.
Alice Martin added: “Projections suggest that a growing number of workers will struggle with serious illness year on year.
“It is imperative that the next government works with employers to deliver an effective plan to enable workers to lead healthier working lives – otherwise Britain’s disease crisis is likely to worsen. This means, among other things, that people have free time to rest and recuperate.”
Among the recommendations in the report, the Work Foundation calls on the next government to:
- Strengthen statutory leave policies through a comprehensive labor law within the first 100 days in office
- Reform of the statutory health insurance reimbursement by:
- removing the lower income limit and making it possible for SSP to start on the first day of illness
- establishing a roadmap for increasing the SSP to 60% of the usual wage or the equivalent of the real living wage, pro rata to the usual number of hours worked, whichever is higher
- providing a government rebate to support smaller employers who may find it difficult to cover sick pay costs
- ensuring flexibility on sick leave to support a phased return to work
- Create a single employment rights enforcement agency to enforce statutory leave and wage rights
- Have an independent study carried out into statutory leave and pay to determine the fairness, flexibility and suitability of leave for the future labor market as the retirement age increases.