Unemployed Brits will be given free Ozempic-style weight-loss vaccinations to help them find work

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy could be “very important” to the country’s struggling economy.

“This drug will be very helpful for people who want or need to lose weight, it is very important for the economy so that people can get back to work,” said the Labor Party leader BBC.

His comments follow afterwards Health Minister Wes Streeting wrote this in an opinion piece for the Telegraph ““Our ever-widening waistbands” are slowing down “our economy” and weight loss injections could help the unemployed find this Jobs.

“Obesity-related illness results in people taking an average of four extra sick days per year, while forcing many others to give up work altogether,” he explained.

“The long-term benefits of these drugs could be hugely important to our approach to combating obesity. For many people, these weight loss vaccinations will be life-changing, helping them get back to work and reducing demands on our NHS.”

Her comments came as the government announced a five-year trial of the weight-loss drug Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, in 3,000 participants.

Health Innovation Manchester and Mounjaro’s manufacturer Lilly – the world’s largest pharmaceutical company – will investigate whether use of the drug will actually reduce unemployment, as well as the use of public health services and complications related to obesity.

11 million Brits are currently unemployed

Millions of people around the world are currently unemployed. In the UK alone, around a quarter of working-age people – almost 11 million people – are currently unemployed.

According to the International Labor Organization, around 402 million people are currently unemployed but want to work.

It’s not clear what percentage of the unemployed population is unemployed due to obesity-related illnesses, which the government says results in just four additional sick days per year, average.

It’s also unclear how Starmer or Streeting believe weight-loss vaccinations will help people who are overweight but not sick get jobs. The offices of both declined AssetsAsk for comment on whether thinner job seekers may be less biased in interviews or find it easier to handle strenuous workloads.

Other problems to face

But there are other factors that unemployed people are already struggling with, regardless of whether they manage to get their hands on Ozempic or not – for example, the lack of available jobs, for starters.

For example, a recent Korn Ferry report attributes the growing number of “unemployed people” to a “perfect storm” of job-killing AI and economic uncertainty.

Although inflation is cooling, the report emphasizes that bosses are not reinstating the jobs they cut during the pandemic because they expect AI to increase worker efficiency.

Case in point: Cisco, Microsoft, and Intuit have all recently pointed to automation as a justification for mass layoffs of their workforce.

Even many newly minted Gen Zers – or rather NEETs – have already given up on finding work in the current climate.