What explains Wales’ higher sickness absence rate compared to other regions?

Using data from the 2023 Annual Population Survey this paper explores explanations for the higher rate of sickness absence in Wales compared to the UK average. The paper isolates the role of differences in workforce composition from unobserved drivers of regional differences in sickness absence. While unexplained regional gaps in sickness absence exist between Wales and some other UK regions, particularly London and the South East, these are by no means universal. In most cases, after accounting for differences in the characteristics of jobs known to influence absence, sickness absence rates in Wales are similar to other UK regions.