The Keep Britain Working review is now live. It highlights that over one in five working-age adults in Britain are out of the workforce, primarily due to health problems. But what can businesses do? Our blog looks at the findings and how Surrey employers can help.
Sir Charlie Mayfieldโs Keep Britain Working Review admits that “Britain is facing a quiet but urgent crisis”.
Over the past nine months, the former John Lewis chairman has met with hundreds of employers across the UK. The reason? To discuss the issues surrounding ill-health and disability in the workplace.
Publishedย yesterday (5 November 2025), the landmark Keep Britain Working review sets out:
- One in five working-age adults are now out of the labour force – 800,000 more than in 2019 due to health reasons
- The cost of ill-health that prevents work equals 7% of GDP – nearly 70% of all income-tax receipts
- UK employment among disabled people stands at 53%, below comparable nations
- Employers lose ยฃ85 billion a year from sickness, turnover, and lost productivity
The report sets out a series of recommendations. It’s aimed at ensuring many more people could stay in work, recover faster, and live healthier, more secure lives.
There’s a focus on:
- Reducing absence and improve retention
- Supporting disabled and older workers
- Aligning with national and local health strategies
- Accessing new funding and incentives
If done right, employers would retain experienced staff and see higher productivity. And government would save billions and be able to focus resources on those who need them most.
But achieving that requires employers, employees and government to each play their part.
Keep Britain Working and Surrey
Surrey is not immune from the issues in the Keep Britain Working review.
Recent figures show that 131,900 Surrey residents of working age are not in employment. This is about 18% of the working population.
The three biggest reasons for not being in work are:
- education (30%)
- long-term sick (20.2%)
- looking after family (19%)
Surrey has its own specific challenges with ill-health and disability in the workplace. This includes:
- Competitive workforce: Surreyโs average employment rate (80.1%) is higher than regional and national averages. But long-term sickness is hampering workforce supply. And it costs businesses money too. So tackling the issue short-term can save you money in the long-term
- High-skill economy: With a significant concentration in professional and managerial roles, absence disruptions arguably cost more than in other sectors.
- Suitable employment opportunities: three in ten Surrey residents receiving long term support for a learning disability are not in work. This is in part due to a lack of opportunities.
The good news is that work is underway to tackle some of these challenges.
The recent Surrey Skills Conference explored some of the ways employers can work with training providers and Surrey County Council.
And Surrey already has health and business stakeholders primed to co-deliver the national plan at local scale. This starts at the top with the One Surrey Growth Board and filters down through various plans and programmes.
What your business can do
- Audit your health and absence practices
- Identify gaps and opportunities for early intervention. Dedicated in-house programmes such as Employment Assistance Programmes can provide excellent support to employees.
- Register for fully-funded support programmes
- Surrey County Council has a range of free support available to strengthen your wellbeing offer. Get in touch via our Business Support form to find out what your business may be eligible for.
- Shape local programmes
- Interested in changing or improving how your business supports employees? Get in touch with us to talk about how you can shape the creation and delivery of employment support programmes
- Prepare to leverage incentives
- The Keep Britain Working review recommends government explores changes to the system to reward best practice. So track developments around tax relief, sick pay rebates, and recruitment grants.
- Be the first to join dedicated projects
- Position your business at the forefront of integrated health-employment innovation. The easiest way to be at the front of the queue is by signing up to our newsletter. You can also enrol directly as an employer supporting Connect to Work.
By engaging with the plan, Surrey businesses can help shape a healthier, more inclusive workforce. This will help your business to succeed while supporting the wider regional economy to grow.
Need further help? Or think your business is well placed to provide opportunities for local people? Get in touch with us via our Contact Us form.
