Australians are calling in sick from work at numbers much higher than what is usually seen at this time of year.
Research has revealed workers called in sick for shifts totalling 606,000 hours last month, up 86,000 on the previous month.
The report says this is a 50 per cent increase on what is usually seen.
AMP chief economist Dr Shane Oliver says the likely culprit for the absences was COVID, rather than people just slacking off.
“It is likely due to the pick-up of coronavirus cases and people still feeling that, quite rightly, that they should stay at home with their illness rather than going to the workplace,” he says.
“It’s a time when some people take leave but don’t go anywhere. If they’ve found the weather particularly through December was a bit hit and miss … people might have decided not to take that leave they were planning to take.”
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