Press release
Sick leave statistics for the public service shows improvement
From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
Published on
Last updated on
Number of days lost to sick leave down by 0.7 to 8.8 days but still room for improvement.
The 2017 sick leave statistics for the public service have been published on the the civil service HR website . This includes data on absence in each sector and information on the average days lost per Full-Time Equivalents (FTE) and the lost time rates are available for each civil service organisation.
The 2017 statistics (January – December 2017) continue to monitor the impact of the cross-sector reform of sick leave in the public service. The figures relate to over 265,000 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) across the public service and include the civil service and the education, health, justice, local government, and defence sectors.
Since the introduction of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme in March 2014:
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, TD said:
"Savings continue to be achieved, however continued progress is required. The rates of sick leave in areas of the public service remain high and continued efforts are required to address this.
"A review of the operation of the Sick Leave Scheme was completed in 2016. The review highlighted that there are significant public service wide operational issues.
"The department has collaborated closely with sectoral management and staff representatives from across the public service and will continue to work towards improving the effectiveness and operation of the scheme.
“In addition to this, management in each of the sectors must focus on the management of absenteeism, and policies designed to assist employers in managing cases of prolonged or frequent absence proactively.
"The department will support sectors in this area by sharing initiatives undertaken in the civil service to address the issue.”
A number of initiatives have been undertaken in the civil service supporting HR units and managers to address absence issues.
The initiatives to date include:
The management of absenteeism and the concern around the level of absenteeism has been discussed at the Civil Service Management Board (CSMB). A subgroup of secretaries general was established to identify measures to be taken by civil service organisations to tackle high absence rates in the sector.
An absence strategy has since been developed by the subgroup of the CSMB to tackle the high rates of absence, and this plan has been communicated to all departments and offices across the civil service.
The strategy encompasses a broad range of measures, including training and support for line managers, upskilling HR units, development of reporting tools, and an accountability framework.
ENDS
The reformed single Public Service Sick Leave Scheme was introduced under the Public Service Management Sick Leave Regulations 2014. The published 2014 Sick Leave Statistics for the public service reflect a nine month impact for most sectors other than the Education sector (Scheme introduced on 31 March 2014 and 1 September 2014 respectively).
Comparative information is not available for the Education Sector for 2013 and 2014 as previous statistics related to the school year for 2013/2014 while 2014 statistics relate to the calendar year for 2014. The calendar year reporting brings the education sector in line with the public service.
The judiciary, members of the Defence Forces and staff of the Central Bank are not included in the scheme.
Data relating to the majority of non-commercial semi-state agencies, third-level institutions and education and training boards are not currently available.
A review of the operation of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme was completed in 2016. The review sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the Scheme and address any operational difficulties and issues which may have arisen following its introduction.
A large number of stakeholders across the public service are being consulted on the outcomes of this review including sectoral management and union and staff representatives.
Appendix A: Sick Leave Statistics Trends 2013-2017
Appendix B: Civil Service Absenteeism Rates 2017