Mayfield Review recommendations can help to put employers at the heart of tackling Britain’s inactivity challenge 5 November 2025 Sir Charlie Mayfields’s report, published today (Wednesday), rightly frames Britain’s economic challenge of rising inactivity due to ill-health as being a matter for the world of work as well as the welfare system. The Government should now fast-track the Review’s recommendations, moving quickly from the initial ‘Vanguard’ phase to full deployment, according to the Resolution Foundation. The timely report confirms that rising ill-health and disability pose a genuine challenge to our labour market, our economy, and living standards. As Sir Charlie notes, employers will inevitably play a critical role in supporting people to stay in, or return to, the workforce. The Foundation agrees that public spending or welfare changes alone would never be enough to achieve this – it will require contributions from employers and employees, as well as Government. Ruth Curtice, Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, said: “We welcome the findings of Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working Review, and agree that employers will need to play a critical role in both supporting people to stay in work and offering routes back into employment, as the country continues to get older and sicker. “The Review has accurately identified a culture of fear, a dearth of support and structural barriers to work as key challenges to overcome in turning the tide for Britain’s economic inactivity problem – which is currently trending in the wrong direction. “As well as taking forward these recommendations, the Government should fast-track the trial phase of the Vanguard taskforce, ensure that the taskforce is sufficiently resourced, and then move quickly from the ‘Vanguard’ phase to full deployment – including the establishment of the Workplace Health Intelligence Unit.”
