Cancer is costing UK employers an estimated £3.7 billion a year through absence and reduced productivity, as more than one million working-age people now live with or beyond a diagnosis, new research reveals.
Published as Breast Cancer Awareness Month gets underway, the findings highlight cancer’s growing impact on the workplace as more people are diagnosed while still working. At the same time, advances in treatment mean more people are surviving cancer, staying in employment or returning to work after treatment.
The new What Cancer Costs Employers report from Working With Cancer, produced with pro bono support from the economics team at Ashurst Perkins Coie, estimates that cancer costs a business employing 1,000 people an average of £150,000 every year. In higher-paying sectors, the impact can be substantially greater. In financial and insurance services, the estimated annual cost rises to £284,800 for every 1,000 employees.
WORKING WITH CANCER
Around 146,000 working-age people are diagnosed with cancer every year in the UK – up 18% since 2013. At the same time, the five-year survival rate for working-age people has risen to around 74%, meaning more people are surviving cancer and remaining in, or seeking to return to, employment. Working With Cancer estimates that more than one million people of working age in the UK are now living with or beyond a cancer diagnosis.
“These figures highlight the growing workforce risk businesses are facing from cancer. Around 146,000 working-age people are diagnosed with cancer every year, up 18 per cent since 2013, and we estimate that more than one million people of working age are now living with or beyond a diagnosis. For businesses the cost is already significant and only set to increase,” said David Wirth, Head of Economics at Ashurst Perkins Coie.
The findings reinforce a trend Fair Play Talks has highlighted throughout 2026: cancer is increasingly part of working life rather than simply an event that removes somebody temporarily from the workforce. As Fair Play Talks highlighted on World Cancer Day 2026, advances in treatment and improving survival mean workplace flexibility, understanding managers and longer-term support are becoming more important, not less.
TRUE COST OF CANCER FOR EMPLOYERS
Working With Cancer warns that the estimated £3.7 billion should not be regarded as the full economic cost of cancer to employers. The calculation does not capture every indirect consequence of cancer – including the impact on employees caring for somebody with the disease. An estimated 1.1 million working adults in the UK have caring responsibilities for somebody with cancer.
“Employers should also be aware that the £3.7bn estimate in our report shouldn’t be regarded as the full economic cost of cancer to employers,” Veronica Foote, Head of Policy and Consulting at Working With Cancer. “It’s also important to recognise that there are additionally a further 1.1 million working adults in the UK now with caring responsibilities for someone with cancer.”
Those carers may be juggling hospital appointments, treatment schedules, emergencies, emotional strain and practical care alongside their jobs. Recent Fair Play Talks coverage of the WHO’s latest cancer findings also highlighted the strain experienced by working caregivers and the role employers can play through flexible working, carer’s leave, wellbeing support and compassionate management.
RETURN TO WORK AFTER CANCER
The £3.7 billion estimate also risks obscuring another significant business cost: losing experienced employees altogether. Previous research undertaken by Working With Cancer and the Institute for Employment Studies found that one in four people diagnosed with cancer did not return to work.
Among those who did return, 51% had no return-to-work conversation with occupational health, while around half had no conversation with HR. rFor businesses dependent on highly skilled or experienced people, the consequences can extend well beyond sickness absence.
Employees may hold specialist technical knowledge, leadership responsibilities and client relationships that are difficult to replace quickly. Losing an experienced employee can therefore create further costs through recruitment, training, knowledge loss, service disruption and lost income.
MANY EMPLOYERS STILL UNPREPARED
Previous Working With Cancer research cited in the new report suggests many organisations remain poorly equipped to manage the issue. It found that:
- 96% of organisations had no cancer-specific workplace policy
- only 18% collected data on cancer within their workforce
- 78% said line managers had received no training on supporting employees living with cancer
- 25% of HR managers reported insufficient understanding of disability legislation.
That manager-training gap matters because line managers are often among the first people an employee approaches after diagnosis. They may suddenly need to navigate conversations about treatment schedules, absence, workload, working hours, confidentiality, reasonable adjustments and return to work – often while the employee is dealing with one of the most difficult periods of their life.
CANCER IS RESHAPING THE WORKPLACE
Earlier this year, Fair Play Talks reported that cancer is reshaping the workplace while many employers are struggling to keep up. That investigation highlighted evidence that employees can continue experiencing fatigue, pain, cognitive changes and psychological effects long after active treatment has finished. Around one in 10 employees reported that they hid ongoing symptoms such as fatigue, pain or cognitive changes, while 45% said they felt like a burden.
Cancer specialists warned employers against viewing cancer as a short-term illness with a neat recovery date. Capacity can fluctuate. An employee may appear well while still living with fatigue, treatment side effects, brain fog, anxiety or fear of recurrence.
Some people will continue treatment for months or years. That means workplace cancer support cannot simply stop because chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery has finished.
CANCER COVERED BY EQUALITY ACT
The report also highlights potential legal risk for employers that fail to understand their responsibilities. The Equality Act 2010 automatically treats cancer as a disability from the point of diagnosis in England, Scotland and Wales, regardless of prognosis, stage or severity.
Employers may therefore have a duty to make reasonable adjustments where appropriate. Macmillan Cancer Support says possible adjustments can include a phased return, different hours, time off for appointments, changing duties, additional breaks or adjusting performance targets to account for sickness absence and treatment side effects.
SUPPORT DETERMINES WHETHER STAFF STAY
There is growing evidence that workplace cancer support is not simply a wellbeing issue, but a retention and talent issue. Earlier this year, Fair Play Talks reported on 17 organisations recognised in the inaugural Best Companies for Working with Cancer Index.
Among leading employers:
- 100% provided flexible schedules, remote working and physical accommodations
- 94% offered phased return-to-work programmes
- 94% provided confidential HR support channels
- 88% allowed reduced schedules while maintaining full benefits
- 82% offered paid medical leave beyond legal requirements
Those practices underline how cancer support can affect whether experienced employees remain connected to work through diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
WHY WORK MATTERS
For many people living with or beyond cancer, continuing to work can provide benefits beyond financial security. Work can offer routine, identity, purpose, confidence and social connection during a period when much of life may feel uncertain.
As Fair Play Talks Founder Pepi Sappal previously said in FPT’s investigation into cancer and working life: “When you’re living with cancer, work can be a lifeline – not just financially, but mentally. As more people face that reality, employers who create supportive environments won’t just help individuals survive – they’ll build stronger, more loyal workforces.”
Fair Play Talks’ wider investigation into cancer and working life found that employers increasingly need to recognise cancer as a long-term and potentially fluctuating condition rather than a temporary absence.
WHAT EMPLOYERS SHOULD DO
Working With Cancer urges employers to recognise cancer’s growing impact on the workforce and review whether their policies, benefits, manager training and return-to-work processes are fit for purpose.
“Despite the scale of the issue, we find that many employers are woefully ill-prepared,” highlighted Working With Cancer’s Veronica Foote. “We recommend they should recognise the significant and increasing impact of cancer in the workforce by reviewing the cancer support they provide, develop appropriate policies, train managers and HR teams, improve return-to-work processes and ensure employee benefits are appropriate both for people with cancer and for those caring for someone with cancer.”
Employers are advised to:
Review cancer support before somebody needs it
Employers should examine sickness absence, flexible working, reasonable adjustments, occupational health, health benefits, employee assistance programmes, carers’ support and return-to-work arrangements in advance.
Training line managers
Managers do not need to become medical experts, but they do need to know how to have compassionate conversations, respect confidentiality, explore adjustments and involve HR or occupational health appropriately.
Make return to work a process, not a date
Phased returns, adjusted hours, remote working, changing workloads and regular reviews can help employees rebuild capacity gradually.
Understand the law
HR and managers should understand the Equality Act protections applying from diagnosis and their obligations around discrimination and reasonable adjustments.
Look beyond sickness absence
Cancer can also affect presenteeism, productivity, retention, career progression, turnover, knowledge loss and the wellbeing of colleagues and carers.
Support carers explicitly
With an estimated 1.1 million working adults caring for somebody with cancer, flexible working, leave and temporary workload adjustments should form part of cancer-support strategies.
Review benefits
Employers should check whether occupational health, counselling, rehabilitation, income protection, critical illness cover and private healthcare genuinely meet the needs of employees living with cancer.
Keep support going after treatment
Fatigue, pain, cognitive changes and psychological effects can persist long after active treatment ends.
Understand what is happening in the workforce.
Appropriate and confidential data on absence, return-to-work, adjustments and retention can help identify where support is failing.
Become cancer-ready
Employers should ask: If somebody received a cancer diagnosis tomorrow, would they encounter a clear and consistent support system – or would their experience depend largely on which manager they happened to have?
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH: MAKE AWARENESS MORE INCLUSIVE
The report’s publication is particularly timely as Breast Cancer Awareness Month runs throughout October. Workplace fundraising and awareness campaigns can play an important role in supporting charities and encouraging conversations about screening, diagnosis and treatment.
But the new research also gives employers an opportunity to look inward:
- Would somebody diagnosed with breast cancer know where to go for workplace support?
- Would their manager understand their rights?
- Could they adjust their hours around surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or other treatment?
- Would workload and performance expectations be reviewed realistically?
- Would support continue after active treatment?
- And would an employee caring for somebody with cancer receive meaningful support too?
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MUST INCLUDE MEN TOO
Breast cancer overwhelmingly affects women, but men can develop the disease too. Around 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year, according to Breast Cancer Now.
Yet the newly published Moobs Report 2026 suggests awareness remains strikingly low. Based on a nationally representative Censuswide survey of 2,000 UK adults, the report found that two in three men did not identify breast cancer as a cancer that can affect men. Just 33% of male respondents recognised that men could get breast cancer, compared with 51% of women.
Breast cancer also had the lowest recognition among men of the six cancer types tested: 71% identified prostate cancer as affecting men, 69% testicular cancer, 65% lung cancer and 63% both skin and bowel cancer – compared with just 33% for breast cancer. The awareness gap was not limited to men. Only 42% of UK adults overall identified breast cancer as a cancer that can affect men.
Men were also largely absent from monitored breast-cancer broadcast coverage. Of 46,159 UK television and radio records analysed between January and 9 September 2026, just 3% included a reference to men. The report stresses that these were not necessarily stories specifically about men diagnosed with breast cancer.
For employers, the message is straightforward. Don’t make assumptions about who may be affected by breast cancer. Workplace awareness and health information should make clear that the disease can affect men as well as women.
WORRIED ABOUT TELLING YOUR EMPLOYER?
For employees receiving a cancer diagnosis, deciding what to tell work – and when – can feel daunting. Some people worry they will be treated differently, overlooked for opportunities or regarded as less capable.
Employees do not generally have to tell their employer they have cancer or are receiving treatment, notes Macmillan Cancer Support. However, disclosure can help employers understand what support or workplace changes may be needed. Employees may want to:
- Decide what they feel comfortable sharing.
- Choose who to speak to – perhaps a manager, HR, occupational health adviser or trade union representative.
- Ask explicitly about confidentiality and who else will be told.
- Focus on the impact on work and the support needed, rather than feeling obliged to provide every medical detail.
- Ask about reasonable adjustments, such as different hours, working arrangements, duties, additional breaks or a phased return.
- Request occupational-health involvement where useful.
- Check workplace policies and benefits, including sickness absence, EAPs, income protection and private healthcare.
- Keep notes of important discussions and agreed adjustments.
- Seek independent advice if they believe they are being discriminated against.
Employers generally need to know about a disability before they can be expected to make relevant reasonable adjustments, notes Macmillan.
CHALLENGES FOR WORKING CARERS
Carers can face a different but equally challenging disclosure decision. Treatment schedules, appointments, emergencies and the emotional impact of caring can all affect working life. Carers may want to discuss:
- flexible working
- temporary changes to hours or location
- carer’s leave
- time off for dependants
- temporary workload changes
- employee assistance or wellbeing support
- arrangements for unexpected hospital appointments or emergencies
- regular manager check-ins as circumstances change.
Carers do not need to disclose every private detail about the person they are supporting. The aim should be to provide enough information to have a useful discussion about what will help them remain in work.
SUPPORT, RESOURCES & EXPERT VOICES
- Working With Cancer provides coaching and advice for employees and carers affected by cancer, alongside employer training and consultancy on workplace cancer support and return-to-work practices.
- Macmillan Cancer Support offers detailed guidance on talking to employers, employment rights, reasonable adjustments, return to work and financial support.
- Breast Cancer Now provides information and specialist support for anyone affected by breast cancer, including dedicated services for men with breast cancer.
- Employees may also want to contact ACAS, occupational health or their trade union, where applicable, for independent workplace guidance.
VOICES AND EXPERTS TO FOLLOW
Barbara Wilson – Working With Cancer
Founder and CEO of Working With Cancer, Wilson is a senior HR professional who established the organisation after her own breast cancer diagnosis in 2005. Her work focuses specifically on helping employers, employees and carers navigate cancer and work.
Dr Liz O’Riordan
A former consultant breast surgeon who has experienced breast cancer herself, O’Riordan brings the unusual perspective of both clinician and patient. She also speaks to organisations about communication, leadership, resilience and the realities of returning to work after cancer.
Lauren Mahon – GIRLvsCANCER
Mahon founded GIRLvsCANCER after being diagnosed with breast cancer at 31. Her advocacy has helped bring younger people’s cancer experiences, identity and support needs into much wider public discussion.
Dani Binnington – Menopause and Cancer
Binnington founded Menopause and Cancer after experiencing early menopause following cancer treatment. Her work focuses on an often-overlooked issue for employers and healthcare professionals: the long-term impact of treatment-induced menopause after cancer.
Read the full What Cancer Costs Employers report here.
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