A million workers off sick for more than a month

As many as 960,000 employees were on sick leave for a month or more each year on average between October 2010 and September 2013. These startling figures were revealed by the UK Government, as it prepares to launch a new Health and Work Service to combat the problem.

The new service will provide a support service to employers to help them prevent sickness absence turning into long-term welfare dependency.

Recent figures show the largest quarterly increase in employment since records began and more than half a million people coming off benefits since 2010.

But more than 130 million days are still being lost to sickness absence every year in Great Britain and working-age ill health costs the national economy £100 billion a year.

The Health and Work Service will help employees who have been on sickness absence for four weeks to return to work and support employers to better manage sickness absence among their workforce. It’s expected to save employers £70 million a year and cut the time people spend off work by 20% to 40%.

Minister of State for Work and Pensions Mike Penning said:

“More than 130 million days a year are lost to sickness absence in Great Britain, which has a substantial impact on workers, employers and taxpayers.

“As part of the government’s long-term economic plan, we are taking action to improve get people back into work. This is a triple-win. It will mean more people with a job, reduced cost for business, and a more financially secure future for Britain.”

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