The number of sick days taken by federal public servants in Canada is climbing again, exposing deeper issues within the nation’s workplaces and hinting at a shift in the culture of public service itself.
In the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, public servants routinely logged between 9 and 10 sick days annually, according to figures from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. The sudden plunge to 5.9 sick days per employee during 2020–21, when remote work became the norm, was not a coincidence but a byproduct of employees isolating at home, shielded from most workplace contagions.
Yet, as restrictions eased and workers were called back to government offices, sick leave figures marched upward: 8.1 days in 2021–22, 8.8 in 2022–23, and 9.2 in 2023–24. Dr. Alykhan Abdulla, a physician and director with the College of Family Physicians of Canada, attributes this reversal to renewed exposure and the pressures tied to returning in person. He observes that delayed access to health care, mounting mental health struggles, and financial concerns also play a role, noting, “The number may exceed pre-pandemic levels because these factors are compounding.”
Work-from-home arrangements allowed many to work through minor illnesses, avoiding the need to officially report sick. Catherine Connelly, professor at McMaster University, highlights that remote employees could rest while remaining productive, perhaps never reaching the tipping point that requires full leave. The result: less time off, but not necessarily better health.
Among all public agencies, the Canada Border Services Agency and Correctional Service Canada repeatedly saw the highest sick leave rates, mirroring survey findings that their staff are among the most discontented with their working environments.
These trends reveal a public sector at a crossroads. The post-pandemic workplace is an uneasy compromise between the safety of remote work and the realities of shared spaces. If sick days are a barometer for workplace health, the current readings demand attention and a genuine reckoning with the conditions facing Canada’s civil servants today.
References:
Number of sick days taken by public servants growing post-COVID
