Presentation by Bill Gunnyeon, director for health work and wellbeing and chief medical adviser, at the CBI's employee health & absence conference. London, June 2010.
1. Supporting Business – what the fit note and other initiatives mean Dr Bill Gunnyeon Chief Medical Adviser Department for Work and Pensions
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3. Over a fifth of working people are disabled or have a long-term condition 27 million employed 680,000 off sick 22% with a health condition or disability 25% with a health condition or disability 7.5 million inactive 45% with a health condition or disability 2.5 million unemployed
4. But having a health condition or being disabled need not be a barrier to employment 60% of people with a long term health condition are in work
The cost of working age ill health is high These are human costs as well as costs to the economy Note that £20bn benefit spend not included in £100bn figure – it’s a transfer between different groups and a cost to the Exchequer, not a ‘true’ economic cost
What the position looks like for the 37m of working age population in terms of employment status and health condition This break down of the working age population shows the complexity of the relationship between employment status and health condition. 37m people in GB and overall 27% or 10.1m people have a long-term health condition or disability (lasting more than 12 months) – spread across the employed, inactive and unemployed groups. Details of data Data from the Labour force Survey (self-reported). Quarter 3, 2009. Cover people of working age (16-SPA) who declare that they have a long-term health condition or disability (expected to last for more than 1 year) Nb - Numbers will not directly match those on benefit system given different sources and definitions. 680,000 off sick refers to numbers off sick in any one week Inactive includes: on sickness benefits (e.g. IB/ESA), students, looking after family etc). Unemployed – people looking for and ready for work (nb not the same as JSA claimants)
10.1 million in total report having a long-term health condition. 60% (approx 6 million) are in work
The demographic challenge applies in 3 ways: Over the next 25 years demographic change will bring an ageing workforce Our existing workforce will be older (now: approx 48% are over 40; by 2030 around 52% will be) As people live longer more will live or work with chronic or progressive disease (chart shows diabetes and coronary heart disease now and in 2033) Each working person will support more pensioners Even with increases to State pension age there will be fewer people of working age for every one above working age Chart shows that now we have 3.2 people of working age for every one over SPA; by 2030, projected to be 2.8 for every one over SPA) Evidence shows that work can contribute to better health in later life and that better health can prolong working lives Older workers with better health reduce the burden on the NHS and care services and make better financial provision for their own retirement