The CIPD reports that employee absence has largely dropped, with only the non-profit sector recording an increase.

According to the latest Absence Management Survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the average number of sick days taken by employees has fallen, with two out of five employers attributing it to the recession.

The annual survey, which analysed the responses of over 600 employers in a range of organisations, has revealed that the average number of sick days taken by staff has dropped to 7.4 days from 8 days last year.

Public sector and non-profit organisations had the highest level of absence with staff on average calling in sick 9.7 and 9.4 days respectively. Not-for-profit employers were the only sector to actually record a rise in absence levels.

The manufacturing and production sector recorded the lowest level of absence with an average figure of 6.5 days. This sector has been the most affected by the recession and dramatic job cuts, with car makers, steelworks, and others recorded huge cuts in staff in order to cut costs and stay above the breadline.

Nearly two in five employers say that the ongoing recession has meant their organisation has focused on reducing absence levels and costs. Results from the survey indicated that an increase in employers think that staff concern for their job security has had a positive effect in decreasing absence. Furthermore, employees have good reason to be concerned over their levels of sickness, as over 40% of employers cited using absence records as part of the redundancy selection criteria.

The CIPD also reported that the average of cost per year of an absent employee has risen to £692, from £662. With the ongoing pressure on organisations to cut costs, there is a clear incentive in reducing the number of sick days employees take.

Ben Wilmott, Senior Public Policy Advisor at CIPD spoke about the results: “It appears the recession has contributed to a fall in the overall level of employee absence, with private sector absence levels at the lowest levels ever recorded by the CIPD Absence Management Survey. It is disappointing that public sector absence levels remain so high.”