The number of jobless Brits signing on for long-term sick leave hits a record 2.8 million - a THIRD of 16 to 64-year-olds considered economically active

The number of people on long-term sick leave has soared to a new high in a worrying sign about the state of Britain's workforce.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed 2.829 million people were described as long-term sick between last December and February – up by 16,000.

In all, long-term sickness accounted for 30.1 per cent of 16 to 64-year-olds considered to be economically inactive.

Economists warned that long-term sickness, particularly among younger workers, risked 'scarring careers'.

Charlie McCurdy, economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: 'Britain is in the midst of the longest sustained rise in economic inactivity due to ill-health since the 1990s. 

'This rise has affected all age groups – but especially young people and older generations.

'The rise among the young – driven primarily by poor mental health – is worrying, as long periods out of work can permanently scar their careers. 

'Tackling Britain's inactivity crisis will be a key challenge for this Government, and whoever wins the next election.'

John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'The surge in the number out of work is blowing a huge hole in the public purse. 

'Taxpayers are forking out billions more in benefits payments, while swathes of the public sector are scarcely functioning due to calamitously high staff sickness rates.

'Ministers need to ensure that work genuinely pays by firming up the welfare system and ­cutting taxes further for those in employment.'

The ONS data showed those considered economically ­inactive – not in employment or seeking work – was at a record high, involving more than 9.4 million, or 22.2 per cent of working-age people.

The breakdown by gender showed a 19,000 decrease in the number of economically inactive men, but a rise of 35,000 in women.

The data was released as incoming Bank of England deputy governor Clare Lombardelli told MPs economic inactivity damaged people's 'welfare and wellbeing' as well as putting pressure on inflation.

Ms Lombardelli, who is currently chief economist at the OECD, told the Treasury Committee: 'We've seen a fall in ­participation rates in lots of countries, but it does look like it's greater in the UK.

'Labour participation is hugely important. It is a ­constraint and a pressure on inflation.

'It's also a huge economic issue and a really important one if we think not just about people's economic prospects, but also their wellbeing.'

Earlier this year, a study by the Resolution Foundation found young people were increasingly blaming poor mental health for being jobless.

The number of 18 to 24-year-olds considered economically inactive due to ill health had more than doubled over the past decade, from 93,000 to 190,000. 

Two-thirds said they were suffering from poor mental health, with four in ten listing it as the main reason for not being able to work.

The study also found a third of young people experienced symptoms of mental illness — such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder — in 2021/22, up from a quarter at the turn of the millennium.