Since the pandemic, much of the workforce have yet to go back to a physical office. More of a problem is that some have opted not to go back at all. Economic inactivity is a growing headache for the government, driven by people aged 50-64 leaving the labour market. Many of these older workers have based their decision on long-term health challenges, a frustration with jobs that were no longer fulfilling or early retirement. We need these workers back.
Tackling economic inactivity is not one big problem. Headline statistics at the national level disguise a range of hyper-local issues. The barriers to re-entering the labour market in post-industrial towns in the Midlands and the North differ hugely from coastal towns in the South. Even within