Approximately 9.1 million people of working age (16-64) are not working in the UK. That is the unemployed and the economically inactive. The majority, (9.11 million) are economically inactive, meaning they are not actively looking for or available to work. That includes students, those who are retired, stay-at-home parents, or people unable to work due to long-term sickness or disability. This represents a total non-working rate of around 25% of the working-age population.
Previously the highest rate of unemployment in the UK was 11.9% in 1984, peaking during the economic recession of the early 1980s. Another major peak was in 1993, at 10.7%, during the recession in the early 1990s.
At the risk of being politically incorrect I just don't understand this. We are not currently in a recession. Long-term sickness is the reason for 28% of all economically inactive people. More than 1.35 million people who are inactive due to long-term sickness report depression, bad nerves, or anxiety as their primary condition. So I have to ask are we a sick society & if we are why?
I remember working when I was quite ill with bronchitis & even pleurisy. I certainly remember working when I was overwhelmed & depressed. I'm not saying that is a good thing, it isn't. Not least because you will undoubtedly infect other people with contageous diseases & you can't function well if you are depressed. But teaching & being a headteacher means that you are in a caring profession & you tend to put the job first, even if that is misguided & supply teachers were difficult to get.
Having had a lifetime of co morbid chronic conditions I am a believer in distraction technique & the benefit of socialising. I can be in pain or feel significantly under the weather, but if I can take my mind off how I feel I do feel better. For me swimming or meeting friends & family is the best cure. If you are diagnosed with something there is evidence that the expansion of disease definitions and advanced technology contribute to overdiagnosis. I'm not saying that it is good to ignore symptoms, it definitely isn't, but mental health diagnoses have grown exponentially. The rate of common mental health conditions in 16- to 64-year-olds went from 15.5% in 1993 to 22.6% in 2023/24. The elephant in the room is Covid of course.
However I do think that my generation & previous generations were more resilient. They coped with massive problems & the NHS only came into existance in 1948. If we over medicalise we are almost conditioning, especially the young & impressionable, to not be able to cope.
We must not become a sick society. We are better than that. We all need to live full lives & meet the challenges.
