Absence rates and costs in the UK in 2007

Absence from work was 3.2% of working time in 2007, which is equivalent to about seven days per employee, according to IRS’s survey - employers estimate that absences cost £500 per head of staff in 2007, although their limited costing methods mean this is likely to significantly under-state the true figure.

On this page:
Headline results
Absence rates by industry
Absence rates by country and region
Absences cost £500 for each employee in 2007
Our research
Table 1: Headline results for absence rates in 2007
Table 2: Private sector services absence rates in 2007
Table 3: Manufacturing and production sector absence rates in 2007
Table 4: Public sector absence rates in 2007
Table 5: Regional absence rates in 2007
Table 6: The cost of absence per employee in 2007
Additional resources on XpertHR
Absence rates in the UK in 2007: technical notes.