Civil servants racked up more sick days in 2024-25 than the previous year, reversing a downward trend, statistics published this week reveal.
The latest departmental figures released by the Cabinet Office show that the average number of working days lost per full-time-equivalent staff member – AWDL, for short – in the year to 31 March 2025 was 8.2, up from 7.8 in 2023-24.
The latest numbers show average sickness absence levels only slightly below the high recorded in 2022-23. That was originally reported as 8.1 days but has since been revised to 8.3 days.
Absences classified as long-term sickness accounted for 4.9 days of AWDL in 2024-25, up from 4.6 days the previous year. Short-term absences made up the rest.
Mental ill-health was the largest single cause of long-term sickness absence, accounting for 47.1% of days lost. Respiratory-system illnesses were the biggest single cause of short-term absences (27%).
Estyn tops league table
An organisation-by-organisation breakdown of the sickie stats showed Welsh education and training inspectorate Estyn has the highest overall AWDL count for 2024-25: 11.8 days, up from 6.2 the previous year.
Officials at the Scottish Government racked up the second highest AWDL figure for 2024-25: 10.8. Its figure for the previous year was 10.3.
According to the Cabinet Office, the civil service’s five largest departments – the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Justice, HM Revenue and Customs, the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office – account for 66% of all civil servant working days and 72% of all sickness absence taken. The Cabinet Office data notes that major trends in overall civil service absence levels are often due to changes in these departments.
The 2024-25 figures show that the MoJ had an AWDL of 10.7, up from 9.9 last year. DWP’s total AWDL was 9.1, up from 8.9.
At the other end of the scale, the Wales Office had the lowest level of AWDL for 2024-25: 1.3, down from 1.8 the previous year.
Sickness-absence levels decreased in around a quarter of organisations. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology saw its AWDL drop to 5.3 days in 2024-25 from 5.4 in the previous year.
The Scotland Office appeared to have the most dramatic increase in AWDL, rising from 1.6 in 2023-24 to 7.0.
In another significant uptick, AWDL at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport increased to 6.2 days in 2024-25, up from 4.3.
Regional breakdown
Average working days lost per staff year varies across the regions. Northern Ireland claims the highest level of AWDL across 13 geographic categories with 10.4 days in 2024-25, up from 9.6 the previous year.
Scotland and the West Midlands came in joint second place with 2024-25 AWDL figures of 9.7.
Civil servants in the “overseas” category had the lowest AWDL figure for 2024-25: 2.7 days. London was next best at 6.5.
Grade, gender and age
There is an inverse correlation between seniority and propensity to take sick leave, with officials at higher grades significantly less likely to be absent from work for health reasons than their more junior colleagues.
The 2024-25 figures show staff at the most junior grades – administrative assistants and administrative officers – accounted for 11.5 days of AWDL, compared with 2.7 days for members of the senior civil service.
AWDL among female officials was 9.2 days, compared with 7.2 days for men.
Sickness absence tends to generally increase with age. The latest figures show AWDL of 6.9 days for those aged 16-29 compared with 10.9 days for officials aged 60 and over.
There is also an increasing propensity towards long-term sickness absence among older officials.
The Cabinet Office said long-term sickness accounted for 45% of absences in the under-30s, but 69% of AWDL among the over-60s.
Civil Service World sought a Cabinet Office response to the statistics. It had not provided one at the time of publication.