Four in 100 obese people out of work ‘because of body weight’ – study

Around four out of every 100 obese people are likely to be unemployed solely because of their body weight, analysis suggests.

The impact of obesity on employment was also stronger in men than women.

Experts called for a “targeted and nuanced approach to tackling the negative effects of obesity on employment” to reduce “substantial economic losses”.

For the study, researchers at the University of York analysed data from 284,258 UK Biobank volunteers.

They included their body mass index (BMI), as well as weight to height and waist to hip ratios.

The overall employment rate was 75.5% and around one in four people were classed as obese, with BMIs over 30.

These people tended to have lower employment rates and were less likely to have university degrees than those who were not obese.

Traditional analysis found obesity was linked with a 1.8 percentage point reduction in the likelihood of being in work.

However, further analysis that better controlled for confounding factors found it was associated with a 4.2 percentage point reduction.

The findings, presented at the International Congress on Obesity in Mexico, suggest a “statistically significant” negative effect of obesity on employment, researchers said.

Lead author Dr Aharon Katz, of the University of York, said: “Tackling obesity isn’t just a health imperative, it’s an opportunity to boost economic productivity.

“Because obesity affects workers in the prime years of their working lives, it may have profound effects on their working careers, individual health and societal costs.

“These findings call for a targeted and nuanced approach to tackling the negative effects of obesity on employment and to mitigate the substantial economic losses of soaring obesity rates.

“Policy interventions and workplace initiatives should aim to raise awareness, challenge biases, and promote inclusivity.”

Obesity was also linked to a larger fall in employment among men.

In women, the estimated fall in employment fell from 4.7% to 2.1%, while in men it increased from 3.9% to 6.6%.

Dr Katz said “further research is needed to determine why obesity appears to have a stronger employment effect among men than women”.

He added: “These contrasting findings point to different labour-market consequences of obesity for men and women.

“The differences may reflect variations in occupational sorting, health-related work limitations, employer discrimination, or broader social roles that influence employment decisions differently by gender.”

Published: 17/07/2026 by Radio NewsHub