Absenteeism rates rose for the seventh year in succession last year, reaching 5.6% in the final quarter of 2022, national statistics office CBS said on Friday.

An absentee rate of 5.6% means 56 out of 1,000 days were not worked on through illness.

The CBS does not suggest a reason for the continued rise but there are clear patterns, with people taking more time off work sick in the first and final quarters of the year.

The absenteeism rate is highest in the healthcare sector, where it has now reached 9%. Staff working in nursing and community care are the most likely to be off sick. The absenteeism rate was 9.3% among people with direct patient contact in the final three months of last year.

The biggest rise in percentage times is among national government civil servants, where the rate rose from 5.7% to 6.4%.

Workers are least likely to be off sick if they work in fisheries and the financial sector.