Sick days taken by UK workers has fallen says CBI

The average UK worker took 6.4 days off last year, the lowest number since 1987, according to a survey by the CBI. This compares with 6.7 days last year. However, the total of 180 million ‘sickies’ cost the UK economy £17 billion, the CBI estimates. In the public sector, employees took an average of 8.3 days off last year, while their counterparts in the private sector took off 5.8 days.
“Although the rate of employee absence has fallen in the public sector, it is still a lot higher than in the private sector, and this issue should be addressed especially given that the public finances are strained”, said Katja Hall, director of employment policy at the CBI. “We estimate that £5.5 billion could be saved by 2015-16 if the public sector matched the private sector’s absence rate.” The report surveyed senior human resources staff at 241 public and private sector organisations.

The Appointment
June 2010