How much does absence cost?

Absence Costs: CIPD Annual Survey Report 2009
The annual cost of absence, is highest in the public sector, averaging £784 per employee per year.

Manufacturing and production employers recorded the next highest cost at £754 per employee per year.

Absence costs among non-profit organisations also fell slightly to £698 from £741 per employee per year.

Private services organisations recorded the lowest annual absence costs, averaging £666.

However, the findings showed that only 41% of employers monitor the cost of employee absence, a figure which has remained stubbornly low over the last few years.

Annual Absence & Labour Turnover Survey 2008 by the CBI and insurer AXA revealed that of the 172 million sick days lost to absence in 2007, more than one in ten (12%) are thought to be non-genuine. These 21 million “sickies” cost the economy £1.6bn and two thirds of employers think that people use them to extend their weekends.

More: absenteeism- the causes