Economic inactivity on the rise despite quarterly dip

The data showed that 2.81 million people in the UK were economically inactive between August and October 2025. This represents a fall of over 11,000 economically inactive adults since last quarter, at which point the figure stood at 2.82m. Brett Hill, head of health & protection, Broadstone, said: "While there was a marginal quarter-on-quarter dip, this is best described as stagnation at the top rather than meaningful progress. "Against the backdrop of political deadlock over welfare reforms and renewed NHS strike action, it represents another setback for the government's growth am...