Economic inactivity and ill health in Scotland

Author: Hannah Randolph

PDF Published: Friday 26 Jul 2024 (24-38)

A bar chart showing the distribution of reasons for economic inactivity given by female and male survey respondents. Answers are distributed across six reasons: long-term sick, temporary sick, looking after family or home, student, retired, and other.

Image: Chart 1: Reasons for economic inactivity

A line chart showing rates of economic inactivity in Scotland and the rest of the UK from the first quarter of 2001 to the last quarter of 2023.

Image: Chart 2: Trends in economic inactivity

A line chart showing the percent of economic inactivity attributed to permanent ill health or disability for Scotland the rest of the UK from the first quarter of 2001 to the last quarter of 2023.

Image: Chart 3: Percent of inactivity attributed to permanent ill health or disability

Two line charts shown next to each other. The left-hand chart shows the correlation between having a long-term illness and being economically inactive for Scotland and the rest of the UK. The right-hand chart shows the correlation between having a health problem that limits activity and economic inactivity for Scotland and the rest of the UK. Both charts cover the period 2004-2023.

Image: Chart 4: Correlations between long-term illness or disability and economic inactivity

A map of Scottish local authorities showing rates of long-term limiting illnesses among adults over 16. Local authority areas are shaded, with darker colours indicating higher rates.

Image: Chart 5: Rates of long-term limiting illness in Scotland by local authority, 2018-2022

A map showing the distribution of employment gaps between those with long-term limiting illnesses and those without across Scottish health boards in 2021.

Image: Chart 6: Employment gaps by long-term limiting illness

Two side-by-side line charts showing the percent of inactivity attributed to permanent ill health or disability from the first quarter of 2001 to the last quarter of 2023. The lefthand chart shows rates for men by age group, and the righthand chart shows rates for women by age group. Age groups are defined as 16 to 24, 25 to 49 and 50 to 64.

Image: Chart 7: Percent of inactivity attributed to permanent ill health or disability by gender and age

A proportional area chart showing the distribution of educational attainment among those inactive due to permanent poor health or disability from the first quarter of 2001 to the last quarter of 2023. The attainment categories are defined as: degree or equivalent; higher education; GCSE A-level or equivalent; GCSE A*-C level or equivalent & other; or none.

Image: Chart 8: Educational attainment among those inactive due to permanent poor health or disability

A map of Scotland showing the percent of A&E attendances not meeting the statutory targets for wait times in January 2024. Health board areas are shaded, with darker colours indicating a higher rate.

Image: Chart 9: A&E wait times not meeting statutory targets

Fourteen line charts in a five-by-three grid showing how the percent of A&E attendances not meeting statutory targets changed from July 2007 to March 2024 in Scotland by health board.

Image: Chart 10: Percent of A&E attendances not meeting statutory targets, 2007-2024

Hill, K., Davis, A., Hirsch, D., & Marshall, L. (2016). Falling short: the experiences of families below the Minimum Income Standard. Retrieved from https://www.jrf.org.uk/cost-of-living/falling-short-the-experiences-of-families-below-the-minimum-income-standard [accessed March 2024]

Dorsett, R., & Lucchino, P. (2018). Young People's Labour Market Transitions: The Role of Early Experiences. Labour Economics, 54, 29-46. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2018.06.002

Scottish Fiscal Commission. (2023). Scotland's Economic and Fiscal Forecasts. Edinburgh: Scottish Fiscal Commission.

Millar, R., Burns, H., & Morton, A. (2015). Ageing, Health Status, and Economic Activity in Scotland: A Twenty Year View. Retrieved from https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/65143/ [accessed 30 May 2023]

Randolph, H., & Crummey, C. (2023). Economic inactivity and ill-health in Scotland. Retrieved from https://fraserofallander.org/economic-inactivity-and-ill-health-in-scotland/ [accessed February 2024]

Boileau, B., & Cribb, J. (2022, October 26). Is worsening health leading to more older workers quitting work, driving up rates of economic inactivity?. Retrieved from https://ifs.org.uk/articles/worsening-health-leading-more-older-workers-quitting-work-driving-rates-economic [accessed 15 February 2023]

Ki, M., Kelly, Y., Sacker, A., & Nazroo, J. (2013). Poor health, employment transitions and gender: evidence from the British Household Panel Survey. International Journal of Public Health, 58(4), 537-546.

Popham, F., Gray, L., & Bambra, C. (2012). Employment status and the prevalence of poor self-rated health: Findings from UK individual-level repeated cross-sectional data from 1978 to 2004. BMJ Open, 2(6).

Webber, D.J., Veliziotis, M., & Johnson, S. (2015, June). Does poor health affect employment transitions?. Retrieved from https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/preview/833958/JRF%20FINAL%20PUBLISHED.pdf [accessed 6 June 2023]

van de Mheen, H., Stronks, K., Schrijvers, C.T.M., & Mackenbach, J.P. (1999). The influence of adult ill health on occupational class mobility and mobility out of and into employment in The Netherlands. Social Science & Medicine, 49(4), 509-518.

Ulman, P., Walega, A., & Walega, G. (2017). Is Health Status a Determinant of The Economic Activity? Some Evidence From Poland. Acta Universitatis Lodziensis Folia Oeconomica, 2(328), 39-54.

Bennett, R., & Waterhouse, P. (2018). Work and family transitions and the self-rated health of young women in South Africa. Social Science & Medicine, 203, 9-18.

Gurgel do Amaral, G., Ots, P., Brouwer, S., & van Zon, S.K.R. (2022). Multimorbidity and exit from paid employment: The effect of specific combinations of chronic health conditions. European Journal of Public Health, 32(3), 392-397.

Schuring, M., Robroek, S.J.W., Lingsma, H.F., & Burdorf, A. (2015). Educational differences in trajectories of self-rated health before, during, and after entering or leaving paid employment in the European workforce. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 41(5), 441-450.

Leinonen, T., Viikari-Juntura, E., Räisänen, H., Sundvall, S., Kauhanen, A., & Solovieva, S. (2021). Does Work Disability Contribute to Trajectories of Work Participation before and after Vocational Labour Market Training for Job Seekers?. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(3), 1-17.

Brown, S., Roberts, J., & Taylor, K. (2010). Reservation wages, labour market participation and health. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), 173(3), 501-529.

García-Gómez, P., Jones, A.M., & Rice, N. (2010). Health effects on labour market exits and entries. Labour Economics, 17(1), 62-76.

Minelli, L., Pigini, C., Chiavarini, M., & Bartolucci, F. (2014). Employment status and perceived health condition: Longitudinal data from Italy. BMC Public Health, 14(1).

Chen, W.H. (2019). Health and transitions into nonemployment and early retirement among older workers in Canada. Economics & Human Biology, 35, 193-206.

Harris, M.N., Zhao, X., & Zucchelli, E. (2021). Ageing Workforces, Ill-health and Multi-state Labour Market Transitions. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 83(1), 199-227. doi: 10.1111/obes.12379

Schofield, S.J., Woods, A., Szram, J., Newman Taylor, A.J., & Cullinan, P. (2019). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and breathlessness in older workers predit economic inactivity in a prospective cohort study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 200(10), 1228-1233. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201902-0297OC

Britton, J., & French, E. (2020). Health and Employment amongst Older Workers. Fiscal Studies, 41(1), 221-250. doi: 10.1111/1475-5890.12213

Hengel, K.O., Robroek, S.J.W., Eekhout, I., van der Beek, A.J., & Burdorf, A. (2019). Educational inequalities in the impact of chronic diseases on exit from paid employment among older workers: a 7-year prospective study in the Netherlands. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 76(10), 718-725. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2019-105788

Reeves, A., Fransham, M., Stewart, K., Reader, M., & Patrick, R. (2024). Capping welfare payments for workless families increases employment and economic inactivity: Evidence from the UK's benefit cap. International Journal of Social Welfare, 1-14. doi: 10.1111/ijsw.12651

Brown, J., Demou, E., Tristram, M.A., Gilmour, H., Sanati, K.A., & MacDonald, E.B. (2012). Employment status and health: understanding the health of the economically inactive population in Scotland. BMC Public Health, 12(1), 327. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-327

Clemens, T., Boyle, P., & Popham, F. (2009). Unemployment, mortality and the problem of health-related selection: evidence from the Scottish and England & Wales (ONS) longitudinal studies. Health Statistics Quarterly, (43), 7-13.

Tinson, A., Major, A., & Finch, D. (2022, October 10). Is poor health driving a rise in economic inactivity?. Retrieved from https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/charts-and-infographics/is-poor-health-driving-a-rise-in-economic-inactivity [accessed 30 May 2023]

Reuschke, D., & Houston, D. (2022). The impact of Long COVID on the UK workforce. Applied Economics Letters, 1-5. doi: 10.1080/13504851.2022.2098239

Cribb, J. (2023). Falling employment and worsening health in the UK: connected or distinct trends?. BMJ, 380, 647. doi: 10.1136/bmj.p647

Phoenix. (2022, November). What is driving the great retirement?. Retrieved from https://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv:96654 [accessed 30 May 2023]

Randolph, H., & Crummey, C. (2023, March 14). Economic inactivity and ill-health in Scotland. Retrieved from https://fraserofallander.org/economic-inactivity-and-ill-health-in-scotland/ [accessed 14 March 2023]

Murphy, L. (2024). A U-shaped legacy: Taking stock of trends in economic inactivity in 2024. Retrieved from https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/a-u-shaped-legacy/ [accessed 30 March 2024]

Charlie, M.C., & Louise, M. (2024). We've only just begun: Action to improve young people's mental health, education and employment. Retrieved from https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/weve-only-just-begun/ [accessed 30 March 2024]

Windett, S. (2022, July 19). The Power of Potential: Supporting the Future of 'NEET' Young People in the Labour Market. Retrieved from https://learningandwork.org.uk/resources/research-and-reports/power-of-potential/ [accessed 30 May 2022]

Murphy, L. (2023, June 5). Left behind: Exploring the prevalence of youth worklessness due to ill health in different parts of the UK. Retrieved from https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/left-behind/ [accessed 5 June 2023]

Marmot, M. (2020). Health equity in England: the Marmot review 10 years on. BMJ, 368, 693. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m693

Office for National Statistics. (2024). Annual Population Survey 2014-2022. 8th release. UK Data Service. SN:200002. Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-Series-200002

Last Updated: 13/11 9:05pm

An error occured while loading, please try again in a few minutes.