Cancer now accounts for almost one third of all long-term sickness claims paid. Breast and gastrointestinal cancers account for almost half of those claims. A report by Unum also uncovered that women are still under-protected; though more likely to go on long-term sick leave, women are still less likely to be covered by income protection.

The data is from Unums annual claims statement, providing information on all the Income Protection claims it paid to people who became too ill to work between August 1st, 2015 and July 31st, 2016. The results of the data point towards a need for the government to look at what can be done to encourage employers to protect more of their staff. 

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