23rd July 2019
Average of < 6 Days Per Teacher in 2018
Sick Leave statistics for 2018 across the public service were published this month by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER). Taking into account all parts of the public service – civil service, local government, health, uniformed services and education (teachers & SNAs) – the average of sick days per full-time equivalent worker was 9.2, or a “lost time” rate of 4.2%.
Teacher Sick Leave Stats
In the education sector, the average of sick leave days was 5.9 per primary teacher or a rate of 3.3%. While this was up marginally on the 2017 figure, the cost of teachers’ sick leave has reduced by over €5m since 2014 based on periods spent on full pay, half pay, TRR (Temporary Rehabilitation Remuneration) and unpaid, which are the various categories of sick leave within the scheme.
The figures for all sectors in more detail are available through the DPER website, in a report titled “2018 Public Service Sick Leave Statistics and Trends 2013-2018” (PDF).