Benchmarking absence rates and costs in 2011
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Absence rates have shown a fall over the past year. Across the whole economy, the median and the average sickness absence rates both stood at 2.8% of working time for the 2010 calendar year. |
Both the median and mean absence rates are down on the previous year's readings: the median absence rate for 2009 was 3% of working time, while the mean absence rate for 2009 was 3.3%.
Subscribers to XpertHR Benchmarking can drill down into the complete benchmarking data from the 2011 XpertHR Benchmarking survey on absence rates and costs. The survey - based on responses from 280 organisations with a combined workforce of 460,881 employees - looks in detail at absence trends among UK employers for the 2010 calendar year.
How do the public and private sectors compare on absence rates and costs?
In line with the trend seen in previous years, employers in the public sector once again registered higher absence rates and costs than their private sector counterparts in 2010.
- The median public sector sickness absence rate was 3.5% of working time in 2010. This compares with a median rate of 2.7% among manufacturers, and a 2.4% median in private sector services.
- In terms of number of days' sickness absence per employee in 2010, the median whole economy absence rate was 6.4 days. Once again, the public sector rate was higher than those recorded for private sector organisations.
- Across the whole economy, the median cost of absence was £442.19 per employee in 2010. In the public sector, the median cost of absence per employee in 2010 was £535.17, again higher than the private sector rates.
UK absence rates in slow and steady decline
Whole economy absence rates have shown a slow but steady decline over recent years. This is according to a time-series analysis of data from the past five annual XpertHR surveys of absence rates and costs, covering the period from 2006 to 2010. Over this five-year period, the median whole economy sickness absence rate has fallen from 3.5% of working time in 2006 to 2.8% in 2010.
The public sector absence rate has also shown a fall in each successive year, but has nonetheless consistently outpaced that for the private sector over this period. The public sector median sickness absence rate ran at 4.1% in 2006, falling in each successive year to come in at 3.5% in 2010.
One employer in four surveyed by XpertHR says its absence rate has changed "substantially" over past 12 months.
You can also access XpertHR's detailed written analysis of the survey findings.
Michael Carty, benchmarking editor
