The number of working-age adults in Britain who are not in the jobs market because they are long-term sick has increased to a record high, official figures show, amid concerns over shortages of workers in the UK economy. Unemployment itself is no longer on the rise.
The Office for National Statistics said unemployment in the UK fell to 3.5% in the three months to August from a previous level of 3.8%, dropping to the lowest level since February 1974.
However, the fall in the headline rate came amid a sharp rise in the number of working-age adults classified by statisticians as “economically inactive,” meaning they are neither employed nor looking for work.
While there are about 1.2 million people in unemployment, it said the inactivity rate rose by 0.6 percentage points over the three-month period to 21.7%, with almost 9 million people aged 16-64 economically inactive.
The rise was driven by students, as well as long-term sickness which increased to a record high, with the biggest increases in inactivity rates among those aged 50-64 and among 16- to 24-year-olds. Almost 2.5 million people are inactive because of long-term health problems.
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