Jansev Jemal, Director of Research and Policy at Pro Bono Economics, said:

“This welcome focus from the government on health and employment is much-needed given the significant deterioration in the nation’s health since the pandemic. We know the number of people reporting that their health is good has fallen from three in four (74%) on the eve of Covid’s arrival, to two in three (66%) today. The health crisis also means there are now an additional 600,000 adults outside of the labour market entirely due to long-term ill health, relative to the pre-pandemic period.

“Working with the voluntary sector to get people back to work continues to be a blind spot for government. There are 3,000 mental health charities and 4,500 charities specialising in employability training in the UK. This is an opportunity for the government to harness their specialist expertise and reach in order to get people back to work.

“This will require Jobcentres and Integrated Care Systems to properly collaborate with charities and seize the volunteering opportunities they present, which increase the chances of getting inactive people, disabled people and carers into work.”

 

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