Bureaucrats in the core public administration called out sick an average of 9.2 days in 2023-24 compared to 5.9 in 2020-21, marking a rise in days claimed by employees in every department and agency in the core public service since the onset of the pandemic.

The Hill Times reported on the Treasury Board Secretariat’s most recent data, which shows the sick days were significantly lower when federal employees were largely working from home in the midst of COVID-19 public health lockdowns. The averages have steadily climbed every year since, with public servants off sick an average of 8.1 days in 2021-22, followed by 8.8 days the following year.

Federal staff slowly began returning to in-person work in 2022, and by early 2023 were ordered to work in-office for at least two to three days a week. Data for the 2024-25 fiscal year, when federal public servants were mandated to work in-office at least three times per week, is not yet available.

The Hill Times

 

Marlo Glass is a news reporter covering the federal public service and all things newsworthy on Parliament Hill. She is deputy digital editor for The Hill Times. With a background in breaking news, she previously worked for newspapers in Ottawa, Saint John and Halifax. Send tips to mglass@hilltimes.com. See all stories BY MARLO GLASS