UK will lose £8bn from Covid-induced decline in size of workforce

Illness, mental health problems and NHS disruption have led to 400,000 workers vanishing, says thinktank

Britain's economy will suffer an 8bn hit this year from a reduction in the size of the workforce caused by a pandemic-induced rise in ill-health, research from a thinktank has shown.

A report from the Institute for Public Policy Research said a combination of long Covid, NHS disruption and an increase in mental illness meant 400,000 workers had gone missing" since the global health crisis began.