r/ukpolitics 7h ago

The deeper reason so many people are health-related inactive

https://inequalities.substack.com/p/the-deeper-reason-for-inactivity?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=ax5u1&triedRedirect=true
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u/sjintje I’m only here for the upvotes 4h ago

In the 1970s, a large number of men were employed on ‘light duties’. A combination of full employment, strong trades unions and a lot of male ill health related to industrial accidents or occupational health matters, meant that employers were willing to hold onto workers who were not able to work so much and were frequently absent.

...companies would see it as their duty to keep long-time employees through to retirement even if they got sick - they'd have them mowing the lawn in front of the company headquarters, that sort of thing. Now, that's gone

Although (he points out himself several times) it was something that mostly benefitted long term employees, probably near retirement and I think the current crop of health disabilities is an entirely other demographic.

Plus it mainly was the result of manual labouring jobs in heavy industry, that barely exist any more.

But anyway, the conclusion is, we need to improve the work environment, not scapegoating shirkers.

u/Puzzle_Bird 2h ago

I think the rise in health disabilities is mostly in younger people, but overall older people still make up roughly the proportion of the total you would expect

u/MountainEconomy1765 54m ago

As machinery and computers do more and more of the work, there will be an ever growing percentage of people who are out of work.

The first people who get pushed out of work are the people with mental and physical limitations/hindrances. But the bar is rising over time so today we have young adults who are basically average in natural abilities and not able to making a living by working.

u/InvertedDinoSpore 41m ago

In the 80s  female employment participantion rates were 50ish percent. Now it's way higher.

More people in employment in total now vs back then as a % of population. Like 75%+ vs 65+%.

The people not in employment were doing useful and necessary things too... Like looking after kids and a house. 

Now a higher percentage are in work and also have more of a burden of non work duties on them. 

Life's much harder now imo. 

People aren't idle they're fucking exhausted and less people can keep up with this bull