Keep Britain Working September 2026 Update: Disability Employment Gap at 29.4%, 2.8 Million Inactive Due to Health

Summary

Sir Charlie Mayfield's Keep Britain Working review published its September 2026 progress update, calling the disability employment crisis 'one of Britain's largest and most attainable growth opportunities.' The report highlights a persistent 29.4% disability employment gap and 2.8 million people economically inactive due to ill health — 800,000 more than in 2019, with projections of another 600,000 by 2030 without action. The Vanguard programme, co-chaired by the Secretary of State and Sir Charlie Mayfield, is testing interventions with employers, providers and the Business Disability Forum. The review proposes a Healthy Working Lifecycle framework, new stay-in-work and return-to-work plans, and a Workplace Health Intelligence Unit. Connect to Work will reach 300,000 sick or disabled people, and over 1,000 full-time Pathways to Work advisers are already in place.