Here’s how to stop an ever sicker workforce dropping out
It is often said that you have to understand the root cause of a problem before you try to fix it. I’m not convinced. Take the unexpected trend in the UK of people dropping out of the workforce in recent years — something that hasn’t happened in nearby countries such as France and Germany. It has led to endless debate over what’s gone wrong. It seems to me it has become a sort of Rorschach test, in which people blame the phenomenon on whichever issue they are already cross about: austerity, say, or welfare dependency or wealthy baby boomers. I include myself here, having argued that part of the blame lies with bad-quality jobs.
But you can disagree about the root causes of a problem while still coming up with some sensible, practical ideas that could make it better. Here’s one: occupational therapists, and lots of them.
This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Sarah O'Connor
