We hope you’ll find this a useful summary of some of the many facts and figures in the press or on the Web about absence – the costs, effects on industry and the likely causes.

What are current absence levels in the UK?


Absence levels: CIPD Annual Survey Report 2009
Analysis is based on replies from 642 employers in organisations employing a total of more than 1.9 million employees found that the average level of employee absence has fallen to 7.4 days per employee per year from 8.0 days per employee per year in the previous year.

The average level of absence remains highest in the public sector at 9.7 days per employee per year, a very slight drop from the previous year’s figure of 9.8 days per employee per year. Private sector services organisations also recorded a drop in the average level of absence from 7.2 days per employee per year to 6.4 days.

Nearly four in ten employers say the recession has increased their organisation’s focus on reducing absence levels and costs

According to Simon Macpherson, Operations Director, Kronos EMEA, “the CIPD rightly say that measuring absence levels is an essential starting point for managing absence effectively. Without the data you can’t track trends and problems."

More: absenteeism - the cost