Absenteeism Rate Calculator
Absenteeism rate = days lost to unplanned absence / available workdays x 100. Available workdays are the number of employees multiplied by the working days in the period. For example, 33 days lost by 50 employees over 22 working days is 33 / 1,100 x 100 = 3.0%.
Sick leave and unauthorised absence in the period. Leave out annual and other approved leave.
Scheduled days, excluding weekends and public holidays. A typical month has 20 to 22. A year on a five-day week has about 250.
- Available workdays
- 1,100
- Days lost per employee in the period
- 0.66
- Same rate over a 250-day year
- 7.5 days per employee
Compare this with the published South African figures below, using the same formula and the same type of absence.
Absenteeism rate formula
Absenteeism rate (%) = days lost to unplanned absence / (number of employees x working days in the period) x 100
The top line is the time you lost. The bottom line is the time you scheduled. The result is the share of scheduled working time lost to absence. If you record absence in hours, use hours on both lines. The answer is the same as long as both lines use the same unit.
How to calculate absenteeism rate: a worked example
A company with 50 employees wants its rate for a month with 22 working days.
- Add up days lost. Sick leave and unauthorised absence in the month come to 33 days.
- Work out available workdays. 50 employees x 22 days = 1,100 days.
- Divide and multiply by 100. 33 / 1,100 x 100 = 3.0%.
Two more figures help explain the result. Days lost per employee is 33 / 50 = 0.66 days in the month. At the same rate over a 250-day working year, each employee would lose about 7.5 days. The calculator shows both.
A year on a five-day week has about 250 working days after weekday public holidays. Use your own working pattern if it differs, for example in a six-day or shift operation.
What to include and exclude
The rate measures unplanned absence. Count:
- Sick leave, with or without a medical certificate.
- Unauthorised absence, including days where the employee did not report in.
- Unpaid absence that was not approved in advance.
Leave out:
- Annual leave and any other leave approved in advance.
- Family responsibility leave (BCEA s27), maternity and parental leave, and study leave.
- Public holidays and days the employee was not scheduled to work.
- Strike days and lay-offs. Report these separately.
Some employers also report absence from injury on duty separately, because it follows the COIDA process rather than sick leave rules. Whatever you decide, write it down and use the same definition every period. A rate that changes definition cannot be compared over time.
Long-term illness can hide the rest of the picture. One employee off for three months adds about 65 days. Consider reporting the rate with and without spells longer than 20 working days. To see how short, frequent absences affect one person, use the Bradford Factor calculator.
Headcount or FTE?
If most of your people work the same full-time week, headcount and FTE give the same answer. If you have many part-time, reduced-hours or flexi staff, use FTE or count each person's actual scheduled days. Otherwise a part-timer working three days a week adds five available days a week to the bottom line, and your rate looks lower than it is.
Use average headcount for the period, not the number on the last day. In a month where you hired 10 people on the 20th, counting them for the full month overstates available time.
What is a normal absenteeism rate in South Africa?
There is no official national figure. Stats SA does not publish absenteeism rates. The published South African figures we could verify are:
| Source | Who it covers | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Public Service Commission (February 2025) | Public service, 2023, sick leave only (PERSAL data) | About 1.5% (3.7 days per employee)* |
| CAM Solutions study (2010) | 180,000 employees in 60 businesses, from sick certificates | Mining 3.1%, medical 2.8%, local government 2.7%, financial services 1.7% |
| CAM Solutions study (2010) | Most South African companies | 2.0% to 6.0% |
| Gutsa and Luke (2021) | One large South African manufacturer, company's own estimate over five years | 3.9% to 4.4% |
| Khan (UCT, 2022) | Healthcare workers at a South African teaching hospital, 2017 to 2019, sickness absence | 2.63% |
* Our calculation from the PSC's figures: 6,190,519 sick leave days taken in 2023 across 1,681,756 employees, divided by a 250-day year. The PSC put the cost of sick leave in 2023 at R10.18 billion.
Things to keep in mind when you compare:
- The 1.5% "acceptable" figure comes from the 2010 CAM Solutions study, which called about 1.5% the acceptable limit (3.75 days in a 250-day year). It is one company's view, not a legal or industry standard. The manufacturer in the Gutsa and Luke study used an "industry norm" of 2%, from its own HR report.
- Some figures are old or cover one organisation. The CAM sector rates are from 2010. The manufacturing and hospital figures each describe a single employer.
- Most sectors have no published rate. We found no South African source for retail, construction, hospitality, logistics, agriculture or technology. Anyone quoting a rate for these sectors should be able to name the study.
- The statutory ceiling is about 4%. On a five-day week the BCEA gives 30 days of paid sick leave per 36-month cycle (BCEA s22(2)), about 10 days a year. An employee who uses all of it every year is absent about 4% of working days. A company rate near 4% means sick leave use is close to the full entitlement on average.
International figures, for context only: the UK sickness absence rate was 2.0% of working hours in 2024 (ONS). In the US, full-time workers lost 1.7% of usual hours to absence in 2024 (BLS lost worktime rate). The BLS "absence rate" of 3.2% is a different measure: the share of workers with any absence in the survey week. Do not compare it with a days-lost rate.
Our guide to South African absenteeism benchmarks covers each source in more detail, and the industry guides cover mining, manufacturing, healthcare, retail and contact centres.
What to do with the result
- Track it monthly by department and site. A company rate of 3% can hide one department at 7%. Your own trend is a more reliable comparison than an outside figure.
- Put a Rand value on it. The cost of absenteeism calculator turns days lost into a Rand cost from headcount and pay.
- Look at when absence happens. Absences clustered on Mondays, Fridays or around payday need a different response from long illness. See Monday and Friday absenteeism patterns.
- Check the sick leave rules. The sick leave guide covers the BCEA entitlement, the 36-month cycle and medical certificates.
- Act on the causes. See how to reduce absenteeism.
How Appsentia calculates absenteeism rate
Appsentia calculates the rate from your leave records as sick leave days divided by each employee's possible working days, using your company's working week and South African public holidays. It shows the rate for the company, each department and each employee, and flags short absences that fall on Mondays, Fridays, next to public holidays or around payday. See the features page for details.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate absenteeism rate?
Divide the working days lost to unplanned absence by the working days available, then multiply by 100. Available workdays are the number of employees multiplied by the working days in the period. For example, 33 days lost by 50 employees over 22 working days is 33 / 1,100 x 100 = 3.0%.
What is a good absenteeism rate in South Africa?
There is no official standard. Published South African figures range from about 1.5% in the public service in 2023 (our calculation from Public Service Commission data) to between 2.0% and 6.0% for most companies in a 2010 study of 180,000 employees. The 1.5% figure often quoted as acceptable comes from that 2010 study, not from law or a standards body. Your own trend over 12 to 24 months is a better guide than any external number.
Should annual leave be included in the absenteeism rate?
No. Annual leave and other leave approved in advance are planned, so they are not absenteeism. Count sick leave and unauthorised absence. Family responsibility leave, maternity and parental leave, and study leave are usually left out too.
Should I use headcount or FTE?
Use full-time equivalents (FTE) if you have many part-time or reduced-hours staff, so that a part-timer's scheduled days are not overstated. If almost everyone works the same full-time week, headcount gives the same answer. Use the same basis every time you compare.
What is the absenteeism rate in the South African public service?
The Public Service Commission's February 2025 leave report records 6,190,519 sick leave days taken in 2023 and 1,681,756 public service employees. By our calculation that is about 3.7 days per employee, or roughly 1.5% of working days on a 250-day year. The report puts the cost of sick leave in 2023 at R10.18 billion.
Sources
- Public Service Commission (2025). Report on the utilisation of categories of leave in the Public Service, tables 12 to 14 (copy published by Parliament).
- Sunday Times (18 October 2010). Mining records highest absenteeism rate, reporting the CAM Solutions study.
- Gutsa, L. and Luke, R. (2021). An assessment of factors affecting absenteeism: case study of a major South African manufacturer. African Journal of Employee Relations, 45.
- Khan, M.A. (2022). The burden and cost of sickness absenteeism amongst healthcare workers at a teaching hospital in South Africa. University of Cape Town.
- Office for National Statistics (2025). Sickness absence in the UK labour market: 2023 and 2024.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Absences from work of employed full-time wage and salary workers, 2024 annual averages, table 47.
- Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997, sections 22 and 27.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Check the current Act, your sectoral determination or bargaining council agreement.
Calculate absenteeism rate from your leave data
Appsentia calculates your absenteeism rate by company, department and employee from a payroll leave export or PaySpace, using your working week and South African public holidays. It also puts a Rand cost on sick days and flags Monday, Friday, public holiday and payday patterns. Free for 30 days for up to 10 employees.