148 million workdays lost as sickness absence stalls

The data also shows differences in population groups and regions.

The number of days lost due to ill health increased by 5% in men and decreased by 5% in women.

The South West of England observed a 12.5% decrease in days lost due to sickness, while the East and North East had a 29% and a 30% increase respectively.

Sickness absence due to MSK problems increased by 3%, while absence due to mental health conditions decreased by 16%.

Human health and social work remain the highest reported sectors for days lost due to sickness, with over 30 million days lost.

The data comes as the government continues to increase efforts to reduce long-term sickness absence after the publication of the Keep Britain Working review last year.

RSPH is calling for healthy workplaces that support good physical and mental health at work. This could include early interventions like training for managers and health checks at in the workplace.

Previous RSPH research has shown that by 2035 over three million adults will be economically inactive due to long-term health conditions. If this trend continues, long-term health conditions will not only impact lives but also cost our economy £192 billion in lost working days.

Ten million people across the UK workforce currently do not have access to workplace health support.

Commenting on the data, Matthew Bazeley-Bell, deputy chief executive, Royal Society for Public Health, said: “This data is a wake-up call. We have not seen progress in improving the health of the workforce.

There are stark inequalities between different population groups and employment sectors – but these differences are not inevitable. They are shaped by policy choices, workplace practices and how health and wellbeing is prioritised across working lives. 

Sickness absence is a real-time indicator of the nation’s health. Most causes of sickness at work are avoidable, and the easiest way to reduce absence is to stop people from getting ill in the first place.

Workplaces can – and should – improve our health. But this will only happen when every employee has access to proper workplace health support.

The Government has rightly called for universal workplace health provision as part of the Keep Britain Working Review. We must now see this realised. From setting workplace health standards to ensuring we have the right skills in workplaces, we can prevent sickness absence and increase productivity.”