The Health and Safety Authority HSA) has published interim guidance on its website to assist employers to manage workers’ return to work following Covid-19 related absence. The guidance can be considered within existing sickness and absence management procedures and policies.

Fitness for Work (FFW) refers to a state of physical and psychological health and well-being which enables a worker to carry out their work reliably, safely and efficiently and in a way that does not affect their safety or the safety of others. Most workers who contract Covid-19 will recover with no long term health effects. Some workers, however, may suffer serious or on-going health effects and need additional support to return to work.

Optimism regarding the outlook for the global economy has increased in recent months. This is on the back of the relatively successful vaccine rollout programmes, economies proving better able to adapt to the restrictions that were in place earlier in the year than previously  envisaged, and additional fiscal supports. This more upbeat perspective is evident in the raft of international agencies revising higher their economic growth forecasts over the summer.
 
The OECD is now forecasting that the global economy will grow by 5.8% this year and 4.4% in 2022, following a 3.5% contraction in 2020. This compares to its previous projections made at the end of 2020 for growth of 4.2% and 3.7% in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The IMF is forecasting similar strong growth rates for the world economy. Meanwhile, world trade is recovering strongly, after contracting by 8.5% last year. A rise of 8% is being pencilled in for this year, followed by growth of 6% in 2022. However, both the OECD and IMF point to marked differences in the economic recovery across countries.