A LARGE rise in the number of sick days taken by public sector employees is a “symptom of wider problems among the workforce”, the chair of the States spending watchdog has said.
Public Accounts Committee chair Deputy Inna Gardiner said that employee absence data from the States of Jersey 2025 Annual Report and Accounts could point to issues relating to stress, excessive workloads and a lack of available support.
The recently released States Annual Report and Accounts showed public sector staff missed 85,964 days in 2025. This was 10,000 more days missed due to sickness than in 2024, when the total stood at 75,317 and more than double the number recorded in 2019.
This means the government lost more than 636,000 hours of work, amounting to an average of 9.7 sick days per employee – up from 8.8 the previous year. The overall average working days lost per staff year in the UK Civil Service was 8.2 days for the year ending 31 March 2025.
The report – at least in part – attributed the increase in employee absence to “improved reporting”.
Deputy Malcolm Ferey, vice-chair of the States Employment Board, reiterated to the JEP that the near-13% increase in employee absence was “anticipated”.
He said: “The increase in average sick days was anticipated following the launch of a campaign across government in September 2025 to strengthen the accuracy of absence reporting data and enable earlier intervention to support staff back to work.”
The campaign, called Absence Matters – Let’s Get it Right, provided “colleagues and managers tools and resources to support attendance, address attendance issues constructively, and ensure consistent support”, the Deputy added.
But Deputy Gardiner – speaking as Chair of the Public Accounts Committee – questioned whether “better management of data” was the sole factor for “such a large rise [in employee absence].”
She said: “From my previous professional experience I believe that absence on this scale is a symptom of wider problems among the workforce – such a large rise could well signal concerns about workload, stress or the support available to staff.
“Better data is required in order to address an issue like this and it’s something that needs to be looked into deeply, and monitored in years to come, as every day lost is a cost.
“It’s something that I expect will be considered [after the election] by the next Public Accounts Committee.”
And Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel chair Deputy Helen Miles echoed Deputy Gardiner’s scepticism.
“If part of the increase reflects better data, not simply more illness, that is a good thing, even if the headline figure looks worse as a result”, she said.
“However, I am concerned that the ongoing recruitment freeze across the public service has placed additional pressure on existing staff, who are maybe being asked to absorb workloads that would ordinarily be shared across larger teams.”
The Deputy continued: “When you reduce headcount while maintaining service demands, the people who remain carry the weight – and these figures could suggest that cost is beginning to show.”
Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel chair Deputy Louise Doublet added that the statistics may have some relation to “historic” problems across the Health Department.
She said: “In terms of specific departments, I’m aware that Health has a historic problem with staff sickness and this has links with low morale, bullying and a culture of fear surrounding speaking up about poor practice.
“There were some indications of improvements following the latest BeHeard survey and it is critical that the next government maintains this focus on improving culture and working conditions for health staff.”
She added that, as a States member, she hopes the States Employment Board will “take the problem of employee mental health and burnout seriously across all sectors of government services”.
“I would like to see some pilot studies to gather some evidence around what really works for different departments, whether that is a 4 day work week or other types of flexible working,” she continued.
Responding to the absence statistics, director of workforce in the Health Department Stephen James reiterated that the data “reflects better reporting rather than worsening health”.
“While workforce pressures remain, sickness absence is being actively managed with clear support and wellbeing strategies in place.
“This active approach is beginning to show early impact, with an incremental reduction in sickness absence recorded over the past two months.
“Recorded absence categories such as ‘stress’ do not distinguish between pressures arising from work and those related to personal or external circumstances, which can make headline figures appear more concerning than the underlying position.
“Health and Care Jersey remains committed to supporting its staff and ensuring Islanders continue to receive safe, high‑quality care.”
