Sickness absence in 2016

The rate of sickness absence in the UK workforce in 2016 was 4.3 days per worker, the lowest it’s been since the Office of National Statistics began collecting this data in 1993 (when it was 7.2 days per worker).

Some headlines from the ONS data include:

• Causes of sickness absence – minor illnesses, musculoskeletal problems and mental health issues.
• Highest rates of sickness absence - women, older workers, those with long-term health conditions, smokers, public health sector workers and those working in the largest organisations (those with 500 or more employees).
• Biggest reduction in rates over last 20 years - workers with long-term health conditions, workers aged 50 to 64, and those in the public sector.

Long-term ill-health

• The highest sickness absence rate across all groups was amongst those with long-term health conditions (lasting 12 months or more).
• In 2016, the absence rate for these workers was 4.4% compared to 1.2% for those without.
• But those on long-term sick have seen a significant reduction in their absence rate over the past two decades, down from 7.0% back in 1997.

Public vs private sector rates

• In 2016, sickness absence rates for workers within the public and private sectors stood at 2.9% and 1.7% respectively.
• Since 1994 (the earliest data available), the rate for those employed in the public sector has been consistently higher than the rate for those employed in the private sector, although both sectors have seen an overall decrease.