Unscheduled absence
64.1 hrs per FTE for NSW public sector employees in 2019
By age
<50 yrs
56.9 hrs per FTE for PUA in 2019
50+ yrs
76.2 hrs per FTE for PUA in 2019
By salary
<$100 k
66.2 hrs per FTE for PUA in 2019
+$100 k
60.3 hrs per FTE for PUA in 2019
Paid unscheduled absence (PUA) is a measure of paid working hours lost due to sickness or caring for an immediate family or household member. PUA is a key metric for effective workforce planning as it is an indicator of the productivity and health of a workforce.
The total number of hours of PUA in the NSW public sector increased 1.5% from 2018 to 20,183,435. However, the number of hours of PUA per full-time equivalent (FTE) decreased to 64.1, a reduction of 1.1 hours per FTE (see Table 10.1).
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Hours per FTE (non casual) | 63.7 | 65.1 | 67.1 | 64.1 | 65.2 | 64.1 |
| Change from previous year (hours) | 1.4 | 1.3 | 2.0 | -3.0 | 1.0 | -1.1 |
| PUA (,000 hours) | 19,484 | 19,878 | 20,512 | 19,549 | 19,881 | 20,183 |
| Percentage change from previous year | 2.5 | 2.0 | 3.2 | -4.7 | 1.7 | 1.5 |
Most services experienced a decrease in hours of PUA per FTE relative to 2018 (see Table 10.2). The highest reduction occurred in the Public Service (-4.4 hours), the Transport Service (-2.8 hours) and the NSW Police Force (-2.6 hours). Decreases were spread across much of the sector, with 65.3% of agencies experiencing a decrease in PUA per FTE. Rates of PUA increased in only two services: the Teaching Service (2.2 hours) and other Crown services (0.5 hours). The largest contributor to the increase in PUA in other Crown Services was the TAFE Commission, where PUA per FTE increased by 8.5 hours compared to 2018.
| Service | 2018 FTE | 2019 FTE | 2018 hours per FTE | 2019 hours per FTE | Change (hours) |
| Public Service | 58,091 | 59,912 | 69.9 | 65.5 | -4.4 |
| NSW Health Service | 109,184 | 111,619 | 63.1 | 61.8 | -1.3 |
| NSW Police Force | 19,290 | 19,285 | 67.3 | 64.7 | -2.6 |
| Teaching Service | 60,824 | 64,629 | 61.5 | 63.7 | 2.2 |
| Transport Service | 13,506 | 12,734 | 64.4 | 61.6 | -2.8 |
| Other Crown services | 35,933 | 38,237 | 70.7 | 71.2 | 0.5 |
| Total government sector | 296,829 | 306,417 | 65.4 | 64.3 | -1.1 |
| State owned corporations | 7,250 | 7,565 | 59.2 | 57.8 | -1.4 |
| External to government sector | 978 | 1,019 | 52.0 | 52.0 | 0.0 |
| Total public sector | 305,058 | 315,000 | 65.2 | 64.1 | -1.1 |
The direction of change in PUA per FTE from 2018 to 2019 was consistent across major occupation groups (see Table 10.3). There were reductions in six out of seven occupation groups, with Professionals being the only group to experience no change. The three occupation groups with the highest decreases were Community and Personal Service Workers (-2.6 hours), Machinery Operators and Drivers (-2.2 hours), and Labourers (-2.0 hours).
| ANZSCO Major Group | 2018 FTE | 2019 FTE | 2018 hours per FTE | 2019 hours per FTE | Change (hours) |
| Professionals | 151,252 | 158,363 | 60.1 | 60.1 | 0.0 |
| Technicians and Trades Workers | 12,789 | 13,048 | 71.3 | 71.0 | -0.3 |
| Managers | 20,234 | 21,395 | 52.4 | 51.9 | -0.5 |
| Clerical and Administrative Workers | 49,839 | 51,507 | 69.0 | 67.1 | -1.9 |
| Labourers | 11,927 | 12,114 | 75.1 | 73.1 | -2.0 |
| Machinery Operators and Drivers | 9,962 | 9,046 | 83.1 | 80.9 | -2.2 |
| Community and Personal Service Workers | 48,852 | 49,335 | 74.5 | 71.9 | -2.6 |
| Total public sector | 305,058 | 315,000 | 65.2 | 64.1 | -1.1 |
The Professionals occupation group accounted for nearly half of the sector workforce, and its PUA remained unchanged since 2018. Clerical and Administrative Workers were the second largest occupation group and experienced a relatively large reduction in PUA per FTE (-1.9 hours).
Managers had the lowest overall rate of PUA, with 51.9 hours per FTE in 2019. This is a slight decrease from 2018. In 2019 those with a salary of $100,000 or more took 5.9 hours less leave per FTE than those on lower salaries (60.3 hours per FTE versus 66.2 hours respectively). This is consistent with previous years.
Age
There is a well-established link between the age of employees and the rate of PUA. Consistent with the trend seen in earlier years, average hours per FTE for those aged 50 or over was close to 20 hours higher than for those under 50 in 2019 (76.2 hours and 56.9 hours, respectively). However, the biggest reduction in PUA between 2018 and 2019 was in the 60–64 age band, at -3.2 hours per FTE.
In 2019, there was an incremental increase in hours per FTE with each successive five-year age band, except between the 35–39 and 40–44 age bands (see Figure 10.1).
The rate of PUA decreased across most age groups between 2018 and 2019. The exception was in the 20–29 age band, where the rate of PUA increased
| Age Bands | 2018 FTE | 2019 FTE | 2018 hours per FTE | 2019 hours per FTE | Change (hours) |
| 15 to 19 | 287 | 353 | 42.8 | 40.5 | -2.4 |
| 20 to 24 | 9,040 | 9,909 | 43.9 | 44.5 | 0.6 |
| 25 to 29 | 30,845 | 32,793 | 49.2 | 49.8 | 0.7 |
| 30 to 34 | 35,973 | 38,065 | 56.8 | 56.6 | -0.2 |
| 35 to 39 | 35,054 | 37,039 | 61.1 | 60.1 | -1.0 |
| 40 to 44 | 36,516 | 37,414 | 60.7 | 59.6 | -1.0 |
| 45 to 49 | 42,282 | 42,974 | 61.8 | 60.6 | -1.2 |
| 50 to 54 | 38,274 | 38,769 | 64.8 | 63.8 | -1.0 |
| 55 to 59 | 39,714 | 38,958 | 75.4 | 74.2 | -1.2 |
| 60 to 64 | 25,390 | 26,224 | 87.9 | 84.7 | -3.2 |
| 65 plus | 11,647 | 12,460 | 105.5 | 103.6 | -1.9 |
| Total public sector | 305,058 | 315,000 | 65.2 | 64.1 | -1.1 |
Notes
1 The Sales Worker category has been excluded due to its small size, so totals do not match total sector figures.
2 Records where employee age is unknown are included in total sector figures. These accounted for 0.01% of total records in 2018 and 2019.