Analysis from the ONS shows that sickness absence rates in the UK narrowly declined from 2023 to 2024. The annual sickness absence rate fell from 2.3% to 2% of working hours lost.
In 2024, UK workers lost 148.9 million working days due to sickness or injury. That’s the equivalent of every full-time employee being off work for 4.4 days on average over the year. Insights also reveal that women had higher absence rates (2.5%) compared to men (1.6%).
The top reasons for UK employee absences in 2024 were:
- Minor illnesses (30%)
- Musculoskeletal issues (15.5%)
- Mental health conditions (9.8%)
- Respiratory issues (7.3%)