Britain at last takes aim at worklessness

But Labour’s other economic policies risk undermining its efforts

The noblest traditions of modern British policymaking were followed. First came dithering: worklessness from ill health rose sharply after the pandemic, but it was 18 months before Rishi Sunak’s government took a stab at tightening benefits in response. By then, around 1m people of working age had fallen out of the labour force since 2019, mostly because of supposed poor health. His changes ended up being blocked by the courts—the consultation was deemed insufficiently thorough—though not before a looming election gave an excuse for further delay. Labour won, and chose to procrastinate with a new long-term target: to get the working-age employment rate to 80%, a level Britain has never hit.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Working it out”

From the March 22nd 2025 edition

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