Long-term sickness costs businesses £20k annually

Long-term Sickness Costs UK Employers

UK employers face an average annual cost of £20,735 per employee due to long-term sickness, according to MetLife UK data released on 9 October.

In addition to long-term sickness, short-term sickness costs employers £13,800 per employee per year, as found by MetLife UK researchers.

One in seven (15%) businesses do not estimate their spending on short-term and long-term sickness per employee.

Tackling long-term sickness requires coordinated action, involving government, employers, line managers and healthcare providers

- Jonny Nicholls, VP of HR at Adecco UK and Ireland.

Author's summary: Long-term sickness costs UK employers £20k annually.

HR Magazine — 2025-10-13