{"id":10686,"date":"2021-03-24T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.economicsobservatory.com\/?post_type=question&p=10686"},"modified":"2021-03-24T08:27:18","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T08:27:18","slug":"did-sickness-absence-among-uk-workers-rise-or-fall-in-2020","status":"publish","type":"question","link":"https:\/\/www.economicsobservatory.com\/test\/did-sickness-absence-among-uk-workers-rise-or-fall-in-2020","title":{"rendered":"Did sickness absence among UK workers rise or fall in 2020?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On 3 March 2021, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released data on \u2018Sickness absence in the UK labour market: 2020<\/a>'. The report reveals whether sickness absence among UK workers has risen or fallen in 2020. It may have risen due to direct effects of the pandemic. Equally, it may have fallen if other illnesses were mitigated due to lockdowns, shielding, social distancing, working from home and the furlough scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the ONS sickness absence reports produce data for numerous population statistics, only a subset are illustrated in the reports. Here, several subsets are illustrated so we can gain further insights into the impact of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A key finding is that rates<\/em> of sickness absence \u2013 based entirely on working hours recorded in the UK\u2019s Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Annual Population Survey (APS) data \u2013 have not changed substantially. This may reflect the success of government guidance and policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But total<\/em> sick days did fall in 2020, and this may mirror reduced working hours due to the furlough scheme and other reductions. What\u2019s more, clear effects of the pandemic are evident among some occupations as well as for workers with certain long-term illnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is sickness absence measured in the ONS reports?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Annual labour market sickness absence is measured in four ways in the ONS reports. The charts below are mainly based on the first two measures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Working days lost due to sickness absence: this is the total number of working days lost across the UK calculated using micro-data, population projections and assuming an average length working day of 7.5 hours. The ONS states that the latest values are likely to be revised when new population projections become available.<\/li>
  • Sickness absence percentage rate: this is based entirely on working hours recorded in the LFS and the APS. It requires no population projections and is unlikely to require substantial revisions.<\/li>
  • Working days lost per worker: this is based on working days lost due to sickness absence divided by the total number of people in employment.<\/li>
  • Percentage of total sick days: this is based on working days lost due to sickness absence in each category, divided by the total working days lost due to sickness absence, expressed as a percentage.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    What have been the overall annual patterns in sickness absence before and during the pandemic?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The picture is somewhat mixed depending on which measure of sickness absence we consider. Figure 1 shows estimated annual total days and the percentage of working hours lost due to sickness absence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Total working days lost fell substantially in 2020, but this may be due to a combination of fewer people in work and other measures such as social distancing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Working hours lost as a percentage also fell in 2020, but only in line with its own long-term trend. It could be that the various government measures simply maintained rates of sickness absence per worker. This measure, based on the percentage of total working hours, is not reliant on population projections and therefore unlikely to change with data revisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Figure 1: UK workers\u2019 sick days, total days and days per worker<\/h4>\n\n\n
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