More than a quarter of people have taken a month or more off work due to illness or injury

19 November 2024

• 27% have taken more than a month off due to ill-health or injury
• The average time people have had to take off is four and a half months
• 11% of those that have had to take time off due to illness or injury don’t think they’ll ever return to work
• 1 in 5 people know someone off work due to long-term illness or injury
• One third say they have had less contact with a person they know who is off work due to long-term illness or injury
• The concept of income protection appeals to 74% of people aged 34 and under

A new survey* from income protection specialist Cirencenster Friendly reveals just how common it is for people to have to take time off work due to accidents or ill health. More than a quarter of those surveyed said they had a to take a month or more off work. This rises to 35% among those aged 55 and over. This isn’t an issue that just affects older workers, one in seven (14%) of those aged 34 and under have been unable to work for a month or more due to illness or injury.

Drilling down further into the data for those that have taken a month or more off work, they have on average been off work for four and a half months. 12% of these people were off for between 6 and 12 months and 25% of them have had more than a year off. More than one in 10 (11%) of those that have taken time off believe they will never be able to return to work.

Respondents were asked if they knew anyone who was currently of work due to long-term illness or injury. 19% said they did know of someone. The figures were notably higher for those aged under 55 (23%), compared to those aged over 55 (16%). These results reflect growing levels of ill-health in the country, with record numbers of people of working age on long-term sick leave. This has risen to more than 2.7 million, equal to one in 13 of the working population.

UK long term sickness figures 2024 | Statista.

A prolonged period of work can lead to isolation and loneliness, further affecting a person’s health and their ability to make a successful return to work. 31% of those that knew someone on long-term sick leave said they have had less contact with that person than before their illness. Men (35%) and those aged 34 and under (36%) are most likely to lose touch with someone they know who is ill.

Given how many people have seen or experience that impact of ill-health first hand, it is perhaps not surprising that 57% of respondents would consider buying a product that paid an income if unable to work through accident or illness. The idea of income protection is most appealing to younger adults - three in four (74%) of those surveyed aged 34 and under stated that they would be interested in buying the product. Just in 13% in this age range said they wouldn’t consider it at all.

These findings are supported by the recent AMI Viewpoint survey, which showed that 16% of those aged under 34 have income protection compared to just 7% of those aged 35 to 54 and only 1% of those aged 55 and over. The same survey found Gen Z and Millennial respondents were much more likely to think it’s important to have income protection compared to Gen X and Boomers.

Distribution Director, Alan Waddington said: “These figures show spending a prolonged time off work due to ill-health is far from uncommon, even amongst the youngest members of the workforce. It is startling that amongst those that have had to take time off, more than one in ten believe they will never get back to work. There appears to be a real opportunity with younger people and it is up to us to work with advisers to find the best way to tap into it. If this momentum is not to be lost, it’s vital that we develop new communication channels and messaging that resonates with this audience.”

*Survey conducted by Opinium Research on behalf of Cirencester Friendly with 2,000 UK adults October 2024