By bizn_fun 
One in five working age people were out of work, and not seeking work, according to the report, which was commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions by produced independently.
Without intervention, another 600,000 people could leave work due to health reasons by the end of the decade.
Sir Charlie said sickness cost employers £85bn a year through issues including lost productivity and sick pay, but it also cost the broader economy.
“For employers, sickness and staff turnover bring disruption, cost and lost experience,” he said. “For the country, it means weaker growth, higher welfare spending and greater pressure on the NHS”.
Speaking to the BBC, he said that “on the whole, work and health are mutually reinforcing”.
“So keeping people in work, keeping them active, actually helps them to stay healthier.”
The state spends £212bn per year on illness-related inactivity, or nearly 70% of income tax, through lost output, increased welfare payments and additional burdens on the NHS.
People could be encouraged to stay in work if health is viewed as “a shared responsibility between employers, employees and health services”, he said.