Lockdown-Fuelled Fear Keeping People at Home Is Contributing to Rising Joblessness, UK MPs Told

A closing message owing to lack of staff displayed on the window of a shop, in the town centre of Keswick, in the Lake District, northwest England, on June 20, 2022. Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images

The boss of a major UK recruitment agency told MPs that people suffering from health problems including anxiety and fear about leaving their homes linked to lockdown restrictions are contributing to rising unemployment.

MPs on the Work and Pensions Committee were told on Wednesday that post-COVID-19, the economically inactive are reluctant to work “in busy working environments,” though many are keen to work from home, but not all employers are able to provide that level of flexibility.