A new absence survey shows the average worker takes almost seven days off sick each year.

And the CBI/AXA survey reveals it cost the UK economy £13.2 billion last year.

The latest showed that average absence levels across the public sector stood at nine days, which is 55 per cent higher than the 5.8 day average of the private sector.

The private sector improved its absence levels over 2007, while the public sector stood still.

More than £1.4 billion of taxpayers' money could be saved if public sector organisations matched the private-sector average.

The survey also revealed that of the 172 million days lost to absence in 2007, more than one in ten are thought to be non-genuine.