📉 UK Sickness Absence Rate Drops in 2024 | What This Means for HR & Employers – Consensus HR in Herts & Beds
📉 Latest ONS Data Shows Fall in Sickness Absence Rate | Consensus HR – Your Outsourced HR & Employment Law Partner
Written by Matthew Chilcott – FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released its latest report showing a decline in the UK sickness absence rate, falling from 2.3% in 2023 to 2.0% in 2024. This encouraging trend indicates a potential improvement in workforce health and the effectiveness of employer-driven wellbeing initiatives.
👉 Read the full ONS report here
📊 Key Findings from the ONS Report
Working days lost: 148.9 million working days lost to sickness or injury in 2024 – an average of 4.4 days per worker.
Gender differences: Women experienced a higher sickness absence rate at 2.5%, compared to 1.6% for men.
Age matters: Workers aged 50 to 64 saw a notable reduction in absence rates.
Chronic health issues: Those with long-term health conditions had a sickness absence rate of 4.0%, versus 1.0% for others.
Sector split: The public sector recorded a higher rate (2.9%) than the private sector (1.8%).
By occupation: Elementary occupations reported the highest absence rate at 2.9%, while managers and senior officials had the lowest at 1.3%.
📌 Source: ONS Dataset
🧠 Top Causes of Sickness Absence
The leading reasons for absence include:
Minor illnesses – 30.0%
Musculoskeletal problems – 15.5%
COVID-19 & other conditions – 15.1%
Mental health issues – 9.8%
Respiratory conditions – 7.3%
This underscores the ongoing need for proactive mental and physical health support in the workplace.
🗣️ Comment from Matthew Chilcott – Owner, Consensus HR
“This decline is encouraging, suggesting that wellbeing policies and hybrid/flexible working may be having a positive effect. However, HR professionals and employers should not become complacent. We must continue to focus on tailored wellbeing strategies, mental health initiatives, and absence management procedures to support all team members – especially those with long-term health issues.
At Consensus HR, we help businesses create robust HR frameworks that reduce absence and boost employee engagement.”
✅ How Employers Can Respond
To sustain this positive trend, employers should:
Implement clear absence management policies
Support flexible working where appropriate
Offer mental health and wellbeing resources
Train line managers to handle return-to-work interviews and adjustments
Work with HR professionals to ensure compliance and best practice
Need help creating an absence management policy? 👉 Contact Consensus HR today
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