Because the UK authorities warns that the state pension age would possibly have to rise, a brand new report from the the Worldwide Longevity Centre UK (ILC) claims that, between 2019 and 2022, individuals’s work span within the UK fell by 6 months. The report argues that, to allow extra individuals to remain wholesome and be in work for longer, the subsequent authorities ought to make investments extra in stopping unwell well being, supporting individuals to remain in work and constructing more healthy behaviours.
Within the second version of its Wholesome Ageing and Prevention Index that ranks international locations internationally on how effectively they’re adapting to longer lives throughout six metrics: life span, well being span, work span, revenue, environmental efficiency and happiness. The UK ranks 14th (out of 153 international locations) and whereas, on the entire, individuals within the UK reside longer, more healthy and richer lives than earlier than the pandemic, not sufficient has modified, in keeping with the authors.
Following the skilled assume tank’s warning, earlier this 12 months, that the state pension age would possibly want to extend to 71 by 2050 to keep up the established order of the fixed variety of employees per pensioner, new ILC evaluation reveals that between 2019 and 2022:
- We work 6 months lower than earlier than the pandemic: our common work span has dropped from 31.6 to 31.1 years. And general, the UK ranks 73rd (of 153 international locations) when it comes to time spent in work all through our lives.
- We’re much less completely satisfied: the UK’s happiness rating has dropped 0.5 factors from 7.2 to six.7 (out of 10).
- And as a rustic, we’re much less environmentally sustainable than in 2019: the UK’s environmental efficiency rating has dropped from 81.3 to 77.7.
Because the nation faces file expertise shortages hitting all sectors, supporting individuals to remain in or return to work is paramount, argues ILC. Latest evaluation by ILC discovered there have been 1.65 million individuals aged between 50 and 69 have been pushed out of labor early within the UK, because of a mix of redundancy, unwell well being or early retirement. And in keeping with newest ONS labour market statistics round 9.4 million individuals aged 16 to 64 are actually economically inactive (22.1%), round 2.6 million because of unwell well being.
To start to handle these points, the ILC calls on the subsequent Authorities to:
- Make investments a minimum of 6 % of the UK well being funds yearly on stopping unwell well being
- Help better flexibility within the office and embracing initiatives corresponding to carers’ go away and 4-day working week that may permit extra individuals who need to be in work.
- Take ahead initiatives that embody minimal alcohol pricing, sugar taxes, and obligatory reformulation of meals excessive in fats, sugar or salt
- Present funding for workers of all ages to pursue age discrimination via the courts