Ill health causing record number of absences from work.

The number of people not working in the UK due to long-term sickness has reached a new record of over 2.5 million, with a rise in mental health issues in younger people and back and neck pain, possibly due to home working. The ONS figures also showed that wage increases are failing to keep up with rising prices, but public sector pay is growing at the fastest pace for about 20 years. The employment rate edged up to 75.9% between January and March, helped by more part-time employees and self-employed workers, but the unemployment rate also rose slightly to 3.9%.