Get well soon | UK sick leave hits highest rate in almost 20 years

The average worker was off 5.7 days due to sickness in 2022, the highest rate since 2004, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The ONS said sick leave last year equated to 185.6 million working days being lost, or 2.6% of working hours, an increase from 2.2% the previous year.

Amongst respondents, 30% said their absence was down to minor illnesses such as flu, diarrhoea, coughs and colds while 23.8% cited their absence was due to “other conditions.”

Men had an absence rate of 2.2% while women had a slightly higher rate of 3.2%. A high proportion of sick leavers were those above the age of 50. Catherine Foot, director at think tank Phoenix Insights, says that sick leave is particularly concerning for workers this age. She says: “This paints a worrying picture as people in their 50s and 60s out of work due to sickness or disability are most at risk of financial vulnerability later in life.