HR departments will need to consider the changing health needs of employees if they are to maintain a productive workforce.

That is the warning from Bupa, which has issued a report highlighting the health problems British workers will be facing in 2030.

According to the report, employers will be coping with an aging workforce and an increase in chronic conditions such as diabetes.

Commenting on the survey, Helen Vaughan-Jones, acting senior manager for policy research at Bupa, said: "Really what the bupa report highlights is how over the long term it is going to become more important for
businesses to consider investing in the health of their employees."

She said that Bupa hoped the report would allow businesses to put preventative measures in place now to keep their employees healthy and productive in the future.

The report revealed that in the next 20 years there will be a seven per cent increase in the number of people suffering from diabetes or respiratory disease.