Official UK absence and wellbeing figures in ChatGPT

Ask ChatGPT about sickness absence or wellbeing in the UK and get the official figures as a chart, with the source named and the limits of the data stated.

What you can ask

"Which UK industries have the highest sickness absence?"

Transport and storage is highest at 3.3% of working hours, then health and social care at 3.0% and mining, energy and water supply at 2.9%, against a UK rate of 2.0%. Financial services and professional services are joint lowest.

"How does sickness absence vary across the UK?"

Yorkshire and the Humber is highest at 2.4%, then Scotland at 2.3% and Northern Ireland at 2.2%. London is lowest.

"What are the main reasons people are off sick?"

Minor illnesses cause 30.4% of absences. Mental health conditions are 8.9% of absences but 11.5% of days lost, because those absences last longer.

"Which parts of England are the most anxious?"

138 of 150 areas cannot be told apart from England's 23.3% on these survey samples. Only five are clearly higher (Southampton, Croydon, Wakefield, Blackpool and Hull) and seven clearly lower.

Where the figures come from

Sickness absence: ONS, Sickness absence in the UK labour market, 2025 edition, published 1 May 2026 (Labour Force Survey). Breakdowns by industry, region, occupation, company size, age, sex, public or private sector, full or part time, long-term condition and disability, plus the reasons given.
Area wellbeing: OHID Fingertips, 2022/23, republishing the ONS personal wellbeing measures for 150 English upper tier local authorities. These cover all adults living in an area, not just employees, and they are not diagnoses.
An area is only called higher or lower than England when its 95% confidence interval sits wholly above or below England's figure. Two areas are compared with a statistical test on the difference.

See the full UK sickness absence rates and the Mental Health Map of England.

Questions

Is UK Workplace Health Data free?

Yes. It is free to use inside ChatGPT and needs no account.

Which UK industry has the highest sickness absence?

In the ONS 2025 release, transport and storage has the highest sickness absence rate, at 3.3% of working hours, against a UK rate of 2.0%.

How much sickness absence is due to mental health?

Mental health conditions account for 8.9% of sickness absences and 11.5% of the days lost, according to the ONS 2025 release.

Can it rank English areas by anxiety?

It tells you which areas clearly differ from England once survey error is allowed for. For high anxiety, 138 of 150 areas cannot be told apart from England, so a full league table would mostly rank noise.

Are the area figures about employees?

No. They are self-reported wellbeing of all adults living in each area, from the ONS Annual Population Survey via OHID, and they are not diagnoses.