Sickies cost economy €1.5bn per year

It is estimated that absenteeism from work is costing the Irish economy €1.5 billion euro in lost potential output.

A survey carried out by the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) found that pulling a sicky is costing the country a fortune every year. The survey, based on figures from 2009, also found that the recession has led to a slight reduction in the number of people taking sick days annually.

The most likely to chance their arms at spending a day in bed ‘sick’ are those working for large organisations. Those working for companies with 50 employees or less were least likely to miss a day of work due to sickness.

Brendan Butler, IBEC policy director, said, “The recession appears to have led to a reduced level of absenteeism. However, it remains a serious social and economic issue.

“Besides its obvious impact on particular workplaces, absence affects the wider economy through loss of potential output.

“While not all absences can be eliminated, there is significant room for improvement.”

The survey concluded that on average, employees missed 5.98 days per year, an absence rate of 2.58 per cent. This is compared to the last survey carried out in 2004, which estimated the average percentage of absenteeism in the country was 3.38 per cent.

Almost 11 million working days are lost due to absenteeism. The main reason cited in the survey for both males and females was minor illness. However, four per cent of companies stated that alcohol and alcohol related illness was the leading cause for men. Well done lads.

[Image via D'Arcy Norman - Flicker Commons]