Watford, UK, 27 September 2022: Rail and bus workers took over 52.3 million days off work for illness between January 1 2019 and June 30 2022, at an estimated cost of £7.7 billion, according to wellbeing and performance experts GoodShape. Its Transport Industry Health Alert reveals an increase of 42% in time taken off work between the first half of 2019, pre-pandemic, and the first half of 2022.
The figures include an 18% increase in costs due to mental health-related absences, comparing the first half of 2022 with the same period in 2019. Since the beginning of 2019, the sector’s costs for mental health-related absences have topped £1.3 billion, and that’s without admin or replacement worker fees.
This significant increase in mental health-related absences highlights the psychological pressure on workers across the rail and bus industry. In the rail industry, the rate of suicide is 1.6 times higher than in any other sector and more than half of all workers have experienced poor mental health.[1]
“The transport sector is in a state of flux, and its workers are weary”, says Alun Baker, CEO GoodShape. “Poor mental health is a historic problem for the industry. The service’s frontline experience during the pandemic coupled with the cost of living crisis are pushing workers to their limit. It’s important that employers hear and understand these issues, so they can drive measurable, positive change for their people, over and above the issue of pay.”
Absence in rail and bus sector increases dramatically since 2019:
Bus and rail workers impacted by poor mental health:
Musculoskeletal issues the most common cause of absence since 2019:
ENDS
All data is taken from GoodShape’s proprietary database of workplace absences which covers more than 750,000 employee records. GoodShape’s travel industry statistics are drawn from rail and bus companies, covering more than 7.3k workers. To calculate the UK estimated figures, average values were taken for employee salary earnings and working days available. The table below outlines the values taken:
|
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
Transport industry headcount |
340,000 |
337,000 |
335,000 |
335,000 |
Median salary |
£34,486.00 |
£35,969.50 |
34,658.00 |
34,658.00 |
Working days available |
239.5 |
239.5 |
239.5 |
239.5 |
Bus and rail headcounts were derived from the following sources:
Rail:
Bus
About GoodShape
GoodShape transforms the way organisations manage their employee health and wellbeing using a unique mix of clinical expertise and technology. With over a billion data points and 23 million days of absence data, GoodShape’s proprietary database is the largest single resource of insight into work-related illness and wellbeing in the UK. GoodShape partners with big-name businesses across the UK – from FTSE 100 companies to NHS Trusts – to help leaders take a proactive and preventative approach to workforce wellness. GoodShape is part of MARCOL, an investment company that has a special focus on global healthcare services. For more information, please visit https://goodshape.com/