Employees in East Anglia take an average of seven days off work through sickness, according to new research.

A CBI-AXA absence survey also found a record gulf between number of days lost to illness in the public and private sector last year.

Public sector workers missed an average nine days of work, compared to just short of six for their private sector counterparts.

Overall, the survey concluded that absence from work cost the UK economy £13.2bn last year.

But if the public sector matched the absence rates of private companies, taxpayers would save £1.4bn a year.

The survey also revealed that of the 172 million days lost to absence in 2007, more than one in ten (12pc) were thought to be “non-genuine”.

Two out of three employers surveyed said they suspected that staff were using “sickies” to extend their weekends.

Long-term absence - 20 days or more off work - accounted for half of all time lost in the public sector, but just 31pc in the private sector.

In 2007 the average direct cost of absence was £517 per employee - which includes lost production and the expense of covering absence with temporary staff or overtime. The CBI also estimated that indirect costs, such as lower customer satisfaction, add another £263 per employee per year.

Minor ailments, such as colds, were named as the most significant cause of short-term absence, while back pain came second.

Richard Tunnicliffe, regional director for the CBI in the East of England, said: “Everyone agrees that sick people need time off work. But employers face two serious and expensive challenges - dealing with bogus sick days, and helping those with long-term illness return to work when they are fit to do so.

“People who awarded themselves sickies to enjoy the recent sunny weather or to extend a weekend away are acting unfairly, leaving their colleagues to pick up their work, and costing taxpayers and employers over a billion pounds a year.

“Those with long-term illnesses need time to recover - nobody expects anyone to be at the office checking their e-mails the day after a heart bypass.

“But, in many cases, like those involving stress or back pain, firms that keep in touch with employees and offer flexible working have been successful at reducing long-term absence levels.”

The survey showed that while a certain level of absence is both acceptable and inevitable, absence can be managed and reduced through a mixture of 'carrot and stick' policies, like offering medical insurance, health support or flexible working, while also having formal absence management processes, such as not paying sick pay for the first three days of absence.

The absence gap between manual and non-manual workers narrowed, with averages of 7.6 days lost and 6.1 days lost respectively. Sectors with the highest rates included the public sector and utility companies, with nine and 7.6 days.

IT, professional services and hotels, restaurants and tourism recorded the lowest levels of absence with 4.5, 4.2, and 4 days respectively.

Organisations that recognised trade unions saw three days more absence than in non-unionised workplaces - 8.1 days against 5.1 days.

There were strong regional differences in absence levels across the UK.

The North West and Yorkshire and Humberside lost 8.9 days each. The regions with the lowest levels were Southern England (5.6 days), North-ern Ireland (5.7 days) and Greater London (5.9 days).

Courtesy of EDP