The human cost of diabetes is, of course, great — but thecost to employers isn’t so small, either, withunplanned and missed days of work adding up to more than $20billion a year.

And with type 2 diabetes on the increase among U.S. adults,that number looks likely to rise. The Cost of Diabetes in the U.S.: Economic andWell-Being Impact, a new report by Gallup researchers andhealth and wellness engagement firm Sharecare, finds that diabeteshas increased from 10.6 percent of U.S. adults in 2008 to 11.5percent in the first nine months of 2017.

The Society for Human Resource Management points out in areport that lifestyle management programs can help people whohave, or who are at risk of developing, type 2 diabetes—and thatcan help employers in curtailing the cost of the disease.

Among full-time workers, the Gallup report finds, the prevalenceof diabetes is 6.3 percent, resulting in an extra 5.5 days ofmissed work per person per year and a total cost to employers of$16 billion. Among part-timers, the prevalence is even higher, at9.1 percent, and they missed nearly as many days—4.3—as full-timersThose absences cost employers another $4.4 billion.

Obesity, it adds, is a leading risk factor for developing thedisease. In addition, people who have it have much higher rates ofother chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, highcholesterol, heart attack and depression. They’re also less likelyto get regular exercise or engage in other healthy behaviors.

“While most clinicians agree that managing diabetes improveshealth and reduces medical costs, the benefit to employers alsoextends to a more productive workforce,” Sheila Holcomb, Sharecarevice president, says in the report. Holcomb adds, “An opportunityexists for employers to partner with the medical community,specifically certified diabetes educators at local and regionalhospitals, to offer diabetes education and training to theiremployees.”

Helping employees to keep their blood glucose within anappropriate range can have “tangible and proven value for both theindividual and the company's bottom line,” she says in thereport.

Personal finance website WalletHub has produced a DiabetesFacts & Statistics infographic, drawing ondata from the American Diabetes Association, the NationalInstitutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention, and others to provide a snapshot of statistics on thedisease, the report adds.

Some of its more notable statistics include the fact that 90percent of Americans with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese,and that there is a 26 percent decrease in the risk of diabetesamong those who get 2.5 hours of exercise each week.