Lower-paid workers more likely to have quit job for health reasons, report finds

15 February 2023 , 20:00

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Workers in "elementary" jobs were more likely to have left for health reasons, according to the report (Image: Getty Images)

Workers who left their jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic were more likely to have quit for health reasons if they earned less, research shows tonight.

A study by the Learning and Work Institute, seen exclusively by the Mirror, found employees who left their roles during the coronavirus crisis were more likely to have taken earlier retirement if they were in better-paid roles, while lower-paid staff were more likely to have quit because of ill health.

The 31-page Missing Workers report says: “People on higher salaries are more likely to have retired, while those on lower salaries are more likely to have left due to ill health reasons.” Women traditionally work in lower-paid roles with men more likely to pocket higher salaries - meaning women were more likely to have left jobs for health reasons.

Figures cited from the Annual Population Survey 2022 show that of those who were “economically inactive and left their job in the last two years”, just 6% of those in “elementary” jobs such as cleaning and caring took early retirement, while 19% left for health reasons.

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Carers were also said to have been less likely to take early retirement (Getty Images)

In contrast, 35% of those in “professional” roles took early retirement while only 8% left for their health.

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In the “managers, directors and senior officials” category, 40% took early retirement while 9% quit for health reasons.

“The numbers of people not working and not looking for a job have increased by around 600,000 during the pandemic, growing Britain’s so-called economically inactive group to nine million working-age people,” said the Institute.

“The analysis highlights stark class and gender divides.

“Better-paid and male-dominated roles like managers and directors, IT professionals and other professional roles account for around one in three people who took early retirement.

“By contrast, people from lower-paid, traditionally female-dominated roles were more likely to give up work for health reasons - housekeeping, caring personal services, cleaning, and other elementary services occupations account for over one quarter of such moves.”

Learning and Work Institute chief executive Stephen Evans said: “Our analysis points to an important diversity and potential inequality between those unable to work due to health or caring responsibilities - those who don’t need to work with people in better-paid roles more likely to have retired early, and those who need help to work.”

Lower-paid workers more likely to have quit job for health reasons, report finds

Directors were more likely to have retired early (Getty)

The think tank urged the Government to “engage Britain's 1.7 million forgotten workers”.

It warned of a “long-term demographic crunch as the baby boomer generation retires” with a smaller number of workers supporting a growing cohort of pensioners.

“The research finds that the growth in people leaving the workforce is part of a longer-term demographic crunch, with 1.4m more people projected to retire over the next 13 years than young people will enter the workforce,” it said.

“By 2040, there will only be 2.3 people of working age for every person above state pension age, down from 3.5 in the 2010s.”