There has been a second fall in the numbers of long term sick people between November 2014 and January 2015, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed.
The decline was the second announced in two months by the ONS.
The decline was both compared to the previous quarter, which was down by 0.7% (14,000) and the same quarter in the previous year, down 0.9% (19,000).
The number of people who were classed as temporary sick rose by 5.3% on the previous quarter by 5.3% (10,000) but down 2.4% (5000) on the same quarter a year earlier.
The number of people who would like a regular paid job but have not looked for work in the past four weeks and/or are unable to start working within two weeks fell by 1.6% (37,000) on the previous quarter and 4.4% (103,000) compared to the same quarter the previous year.
The total number of those who were classed as economically inactive was 9.03m, down 30,000 on the previous quarter but up 14,000 on the previous year.
The economically inactive figures includes those who are sick, discouraged from seeking work, retired before the age of 64, looking after the home/family and students.
Myles Rix, managing director of protection at LV= said: "The fall in the rate of unemployment is positive news for both workers and the UK economy but many people would struggle to make ends meet if redundancy or illness prevented them from working.
"Unfortunately, some of us will be off work for a prolonged period of time at some point in our working life and would benefit from a back-up plan such as income protection, and the peace of mind it offers.
"Regardless of whether someone has a family or owns their home, income protection provides working people with a valuable financial safeguard which enables them to meet their monthly commitments, should the unexpected happen."
