According to the most recent Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, just over 185 million working days were lost in the UK in 2022 because of sickness or injury.
Overall, the sickness absence rate (the percentage of working hours lost because of sickness or injury) increased to 2.6% in 2022, an increase of 0.4% from 2021 and up 0.7% from its pre-pandemic 2019 level. It is at its highest point since 2004 when it was 2.7%.
At 4.9%, the sickness absence rate for those with long-term health conditions is also at its highest point since 2008, when it was 5.1%. The number of days lost to sickness absence for those with long-term health conditions is now at a record high of 104.9 million days. An earlier analysis by the ONS also showed that half a million more people are out of the labour force because of long-term sickness than in 2019.
The sickness absence rate for part-time workers is higher (3.7%) than for those working full time (2.4%), a finding which the ONS attributes to the high numbers of women who work part time and who tend to have higher rates of sickness absence possibly because of the types of jobs that they do.
To prove the point, it found that workers in caring, leisure or other service occupations had the highest rate of sickness absence in 2022, at 4.3%, an increase of 0.5 percentage points compared to 2021. In contrast, managers and senior officials had the lowest rate - 1.6%. Most occupations saw increased sickness absence rates, except for process, plant and machine operatives and sales and customer service occupations.
The most common reason for sickness absence was minor illnesses at 29.3%. This was followed by "other" conditions at 23.8%, musculoskeletal problems at 10.5%, respiratory conditions at 8.3% and mental health conditions at 7.9%. Minor illnesses include coughs, colds, flu, sickness, nausea and diarrhoea, while mental health conditions include stress, depression, anxiety and severe mental health problems.
To read the report in full, click here.