More working days are being lost due to sickness, with Friday the most popular day for being absent, a report shows today.

Almost 2.2 million days were lost every week in the autumn of 2001, compared with 1.9 million a week the previous summer.

Sickness absence levels have remained fairly constant in the past 20 years, according to new research by the Office for National Statistics.

Women were more likely to take sickness leave than men, with 3.8 per cent of female workers absent from work the previous week when the research was conducted last autumn, compared with three per cent of men, said the report.

Managers had lower absence rates than other workers, while full-time staff were off work more than part-timers.