A report by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) estimates that 197 million working days were lost through absence in 1997 - or 8.4 days for every worker in the country.

Those working in the public sector took more time off - 9.3 days a year compared with 7.4 in the private sector.

The survey also showed that manual workers took more time off than non-manual workers - 10.8 versus 6.8.

The CBI survey of 369 organisations, carried out in June and July, showed that the cost to business of staff absence was broadly unchanged last year from 1996.

Minor illness was the main cause of absence, followed by serious ill-health, family responsibilities, personal problems and "high work pressure".

Cause for concern

John Cridland, the CBI's director of human resources, said: "The huge cost of absence continues to be a cause for concern to British business.

Private firms saw less days lost than the public sector

"The key to cutting this cost is for management to play an increasingly active role in controlling absence.

"More flexible working arrangements can also help employees strike a balance between working and home life and contribute to reducing absenteeism."

The CBI pointed out that work-related stress was not among the highest causes of absenteeism, despite other surveys showing that long hours and pressure at work affect the health of employees.

A survey by pay analysts Industrial Relations Services published last week found that sick leave was costing business £485 per worker a year on average.