British workers have collectively taken 78 million days off sick over the past year, according to a new report.
The Benenden Healthcare Society study shows 13.9 million people spent at least one day away from work because of sickness in the last 12 months, amounting to a total 78 million days.
Two million - or 8% of the working population - admit to taking more than three weeks off ill leading to 30 million lost working days for employers.
Women are more likely to be off sick than men. As an age group, workers aged 16-24 are most inclined to miss work due to illness but 24-35 year olds are absent for the longest period with 12% having been away for more than three weeks this year.
Jakki Stubbington, of Beneden Healthcare Society, said: "Most workers will need to take sick leave at some time and in most cases it will only usually last a few days.
"However, as the research shows, some employees are taking off far more time on an annual basis which can be costly to the employer. It is concerning that over two million workers have taken more than three weeks off work in just one year. This equates to almost 6% of the year spent off ill."
