UK sickness absence edged closer to pre-pandemic norms last year, according to new Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures. Workers took an average of 4.4 days off for sickness or injury in 2024, amounting to 148.9m lost working days, or 2% of all possible days. That is 0.2 percentage points lower than 2023 but still above the 1.9% recorded in 2019, adding the equivalent of 9.9m extra lost days.
Absence remained highest in the public sector at 2.9%, although this has fallen from 3.6% in 2022. Private-sector absence stood at 1.8%. Senior management and professional services, including accountancy firms, recorded even lower rates of 1.8% and 1.3% respectively.
Minor ailments, such as colds, continued to dominate reasons for absence (30%), followed by musculoskeletal issues (15.5%) and mental-health conditions (9.8%). The ONS notes that statutory sick-pay rules partly explain the public-private gap: many private-sector staff are unpaid for the first three days away. The forthcoming Employment Rights Bill will make SSP payable from day one, potentially increasing costs for smaller employers.
Regionally, sickness absence was highest in the South West (2.4%) and lowest in London and the East (both 1.5%), patterns linked to younger, more highly skilled workforces.
James Cockett, senior labour market economist at the CIPD, said:
“Many frontline roles in the public sector – particularly in healthcare, education, social care and policing – not only increase exposure to illness but are often physically and emotionally demanding, leading to greater rates of stress-related ill health and absence. There’s also growing demand on our public services, and limited resources, which is leading to an increase in the number of people who feel they’re consistently working under excessive pressure.”
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