Over the last four years, there has been a large increase in spending on working-age health-related benefits in the UK, from £36bn in 2019–20 to £48bn in 2023–24, with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) expecting this spending to increase further to £63bn in 2028–29.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, many of these new claimants are younger, with the number of new awards made to under-40s having more than doubled, from 4,500 a month in 2019–20 to 11,500 in 2023–24. Current new claimants are also more likely to claim due to mental health problems, including learning disabilities: the percentage of all new awards primarily for mental health conditions went from 28% to 37% over the same period, an increase from 3,900 claims a month to 12,100 a month.

We’re keen to hear from people under 40 in the UK who have been unable to work due to long-term sickness, and how they have been affected by their situation.

We’d also like to hear from UK businesses who have been employing young people who have been signed off from work for more than four weeks.