Tina McKenzie from the Federation of Small Businesses said: 'The average cost of sickness absence, including finding cover, stands at more than £3,000 a year for small employers, equating to £5billion across the small business community as a whole.' The sick rate in the public sector also continued to be higher than in the private sector, which the ONS suggested might be down to the type of jobs and less generous absence pay. The ONS said that can be largely explained by the younger age profile of workers living in London and the types of jobs they have. In 2021, as in previous years, workers living in Wales had the highest sickness absence rate (2.8 per cent), while those in London had the lowest (1.7 per cent). The report added that the rate generally declined through the 2000s and has remained relatively flat throughout the 2010s.
However, relaxation of coronavirus restrictions during periods of 2021 and less requirement to work from home, appear to have contributed to an increase in sickness absence.
