Sickness absence rates have climbed across nine of twelve major UK government departments over the last year. Mental health issues are a primary driver,with the average civil servant losing 8.4 working days annually.
The DWP's 19 Percent Surge in Sickness Absence
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has emerged as one of the hardest-hit entities in the UK government, recording a 19 percent increase in its sickness absence rate. According to the analysis of departmental reports, absences accounted for 4.4 percent of the DWP workforce as of March 2026, a notable climb from the 3.7 percent recorded the previous year.
This trend is particularly stark given that the DWP is tasked with the national mission of transitioning citizens from sickness benefits back into active employment. The rise at the DWP mirrors a broader decline across the central government, where the average number of working days lost per employee rose to 8.4 days, up from 8.2 days in the prior year. This represents nearly two full working weeks of lost productivity per staff member annually.
MoD Mental Health Struggles and the 51 Percent Attendance Rate
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) reports a critical concentration of health issues, with mental and behavioural disorders accounting for 30 percent of all staff absences.. The scale of the issue is further highlighted by the fact that only 51 percent of MoD staff managed to complete the year without taking any sick leave.
Other key departments are facing similar trajectories. As the report says, the Home Office saw average days lost per staff member rise by 13 percent to 8.37 days, while the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs experienced an 18 percent increase , reaching 6.2 days. Additionally, the Transport Department identified mental ill health as the primary cause of its long-term absences, a pattern echoed in the Treasury and the departments for Business and Trade, Science, Innovation and Technology, and Energy Security and Net Zero.
11 Million Fit Notes and the Growth to 520,000 Civil Servants
The crisis in Whitehall does not exist in a vacuum but is part of a wider national "sick-note epidemic," with 11 million fit notes issued across England last year. This systemic health decline is occurring even as the size of the UK Civil Service has expanded significantly, growing from 384,000 employees before the 2016 Brexit referendum to 520,000 as of April this year.
The expansion of the workforce suggests that the rising absence rates are not merely a result of understaffing or overwork due to a shrinking pool of employees. Instead, the data points towaard deep-seated cultural or structural issues within the civil service that may be undermining the productivity goals previously championed by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Mike Wood's Accusations and the ONS Comparison
Political friction has intensified following these revelations. Mike Wood, the Tory Shadow Cabinet Office Minister, has accused the current administration of creating a "Whitehall that signs itself off," arguing that the financial burden of this absenteeism falls directly on the taxpayer... Shimeon Lee of the TaxPayers' Alliance further argued that the government cannot credibly lead welfare reform while its own internal sickness rates are surging.
In response, a government spokesperson cited Office for National Statistics (ONS) data to claim that Civil Service sickness rates remain comparable to those in the private sector. However, several critical points remain unverified. The report does not specify which private sector benchmarks the ONS used for this comparison, nor does it detail the specific "tools" the government claims are in place to support staff health. It remains unclear whether these support structures are actually being utilized or if they are insufficient to combat the surge in mental health disorders.
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