Obesity to blame for UK's record labor shortage

Britain's labor shortage is at an all-time high. A report from the think tank Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) It shows that millions of Britons are unable to work or are less productive due to health reasons such as obesity. Now the IPPR is calling on the government to stop treating obesity as an individual responsibility and instead tackle working conditions to reduce the number of severely obese people, reports Financial Times.¹

The UK has the third highest proportion of obese people in any OECD country, after the US and Chile. It costs the British economy around £98 billion every year – approximately 1.3 trillion Swedish kroner – including labor shortages. Costs include sick leave, which is higher for severely overweight people.

IPPR's researchers believe the link between obesity and work disability needs to be further explored. In some cases, obesity prevents many people from working, while others cannot afford a healthy diet or exercise due to the economy.

– Poor public health is holding back the UK economy and obesity plays a major role. Poorer parts of England are suffering the worst of the epidemic, he says Jamie O'HalloranResearcher at IPPR.

Government: Obesity costs the health system billions each year

According to the government, the cost of obesity to the public health service (NHS) is approximately £6.5 billion each year – approximately SEK 88 billion. The government believes they are taking strong steps to promote healthy alternatives. Also, the government has introduced this scheme “Back to Work” To deal with long-term unemployment. The £2.5 billion scheme will help more than one million Britons who are unable to work.

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Isabel Wedholm is a coach at the quarter.