Sickness absence rate down to just four days a year for every worker – ONS

The sickness absence rate has fallen to an average of just over four days a year for every worker, according to new figures.

An estimated 148.9 million working days were lost in the UK because of sickness or injury in 2024, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The percentage of working hours lost fell by 0.3 percentage points over the year to 2%, said the report.

Minor illnesses were the most common reason given for sickness absence in 2024, accounting for almost a third of cases, followed by musculoskeletal problems at 15.5%.

Groups with the highest rates of sickness absence in 2024 included women, older workers, those with long-term health conditions, people working part-time and public sector workers, said the ONS.

It added that time lost averaged 4.4 days per worker in 2024.

Amanda Walters, director of the Safe Sick Pay campaign, an alliance campaigning for sick pay reform, said: “The fall in sickness absence may seem a positive development but the figures mask the fact that far too many UK workers regularly go to work when they are too ill.

“We are amongst the least likely to take sick days in Europe as our woeful statutory sick pay system is forcing millions of people to drag themselves into work ill, risking their long term health because they need to pay the bills. This costs the economy billions in lost productivity.

“The Government is fixing one part of the problem by improving sick pay coverage for some lower earners in the employment Bill, but is not doing enough to sort out the sorry state of our sick pay system.

“The weekly rate of sick pay remains just £3 an hour for a full time worker. If we are serious about improving the health of the working age population, the Government needs to stop ignoring the elephant in the room and put statutory sick pay in line with the minimum wage.”

Ben Harrison, director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, said: “Enabling people to take time off when they are sick to get better and return to work in good health is critical for a robust and successful labour market.

“Workers feeling unable to take time to recover and recuperate can lead to health issues becoming more serious over time, increasing the risk that they might join the near record number of people who are already out of the labour market due to ill health.

“The UK’s statutory sick pay of £118.75 a week is lower than the majority of OECD countries, and our research shows that 47% of UK businesses do not pay above the statutory minimum.

“This can mean those who rely on statutory sick pay can face a choice between making ends meet or looking after their health.”

Ruth Wilkinson, head of policy and public affairs at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, said: “While a decline in sickness absence sounds promising on the face of it, the figure is still high and there is a lot that still needs to be done to prevent people being injured or made ill by work.”

A Government spokesperson said: “Our landmark reforms to strengthen statutory sick pay will help millions of workers by providing better financial security and support when they’re ill, with expected benefits to the economy by reducing how long people are off sick for.

“These plans to make work pay go hand in hand with our determination to get Britain back to health and back to work.

“As part of this plan, we announced an independent review to recommend ways to boost employment by better supporting those with ill health who may be at risk of falling out of work and disabled people to stay in employment.”