The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released data on sickness absence in the UK labour market which showed 148.9 million working days were lost due to sickness or injury in 2024.
The figure equates to 4.4 days lost per worker and is a 9% year-on-year decrease. In 2023 the number stood at 163.8m. Despite the decrease the number is 7% higher than 2019 figures, representing 9.9m additional working days lost. Brett Hill, head of health and protection, Broadstone, said: "While sickness absence has edged down from its post-pandemic peak, the figures remain worryingly high. We're still seeing nearly 10% more days lost than before Covid-19, and that's continuing to hold back productivity across the economy. "With NHS waiting lists recently increasing again, busine...
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