More public servants took unscheduled leave this year compared to last year, an increase seen across most agencies, as more staff returned to the office following the end of full-time COVID work from home arrangements.
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The State of the Service report for 2021-22 showed an overall uptick in unscheduled absences from last year, made up of sick, carers and miscellaneous leave.
Unscheduled absences across the whole APS increased by 0.6 days, from a rate of 12.2 days in 2020-21 to 12.8 days in 2021-22.
The yearly report said "this increase partially reverses a decline observed in the previous year. This may reflect working conditions beginning to return to a pre-COVID way of working, such as lower rates of remote working".
The report also said "the absence rate for the APS and each agency size group increased from 2020-21, particularly medium and large agencies".
Large and medium agencies, like Defence, DFAT and Home Affairs, reported an average yearly increase of 0.6 days.
While small agencies, like the Productivity Commission and Australian Human Rights Commission, recorded an average total increase of 0.3 days.
Services Australia reported the highest rate of total unscheduled absences at 16.5 days, followed by Home Affairs at 15.7 days.
Services Australia and the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority reported the highest rate of sick leave this year, both at 13.6 days.
This was followed by the National Disability Insurance Agency at a rate of 12.9 days.
The Future Fund Management Agency had the lowest rate of sick leave at 3.2 days and total unscheduled absence at 4.9 days, followed by Sports Integrity Australia at 4.5 sick days and 5.9 total unscheduled absences.
Sports Integrity Australia also recorded the biggest decrease in total unscheduled absence, from 10.6 days down to 5.9 days, a reduction of 4.7 days.
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority reported the biggest increase in the total unscheduled absence rate, from 9.9 days last year to 14 days this year, an addition of 4.1 days.
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