Long Covid May Be Contributing to Economic Inactivity

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect people around the world, a new report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has shed light on the relationship between Long Covid and economic inactivity. Here are three key points to know about this issue:

It has been established that those over 50 with long covid are more likely to be economically inactive. According to the report, for people between the ages of 50 and 64 who had Long Covid, the likelihood that they would be economically inactive was 71.2% higher than it was before infection, as opposed to an average of 45.5%. This shows that elderly people may be especially susceptible to Long Covid's effects on their capacity to participate in the labour market.

Despite the fact that Long Covid had a significant effect on economic inactivity across all age groups, those between the ages of  35 - 49 have demonstrated economic inactivity the most. It is seen as having played a factor in the UK labour force’s deterioration during the pandemic. In July 2021, those aged 16 to 64 who self-reported having Long Covid were economically inactive at a rate of 23.3%, compared to 21.4% of those who did not self-report having Long Covid

Additionally, the inactivity rate increased by 3.8% among working-age individuals with self-reported Long Covid between July 2021 and July 2022, compared to just 0.4% among working-age individuals without self-reported Long Covid. This shows that Long Covid's effects may be causing a decline in the UK's labour force participation.