The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued more than 1,600 formal warnings to its employees over sickness absence levels, official figures have revealed. The data came to light following intense scrutiny of ministers in the House of Commons.
Parliamentary Scrutiny Reveals Figures
The statistics were disclosed in response to a written parliamentary question from Neil O'Brien, the Shadow Minister for Policy Renewal and Development. He had asked for details on the average working days lost to sickness and the number of formal warnings issued to staff whose absences exceeded departmental triggers.
Andrew Western, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, provided the official reply. He confirmed that 1,649 formal performance warnings were issued to DWP staff in the year leading up to 31st March 2025. This information was based on data published by the Cabinet Office on 16th December 2025.
Clarification on Data and Department Size
In his response, Mr Western included an important caveat regarding the warnings. He stated that "because of the way data are recorded, the Department cannot confirm whether in each case the warning was specifically due to absences exceeding those triggers." This highlights potential limitations in the internal reporting systems.
The Minister also provided context on the department's scale, noting that the total DWP headcount as of November 2025 was 95,164 employees. He clarified that sickness data for the department's executive agency, Skills England, is not included in these figures, as its human resources functions are managed by the Department for Education.
Broader Civil Service Context
The DWP's figures form part of the wider Civil Service sickness absence annual report. This report, which covers the period up to 31 March 2025, presents the average working days lost (AWDL) to sickness per staff member across all government departments.
According to the DWP's own website, this comprehensive report includes detailed breakdowns by factors such as sex, age, grade, length of absence, cause of absence, and location. The revelation of the 1,649 warnings puts a spotlight on how one of the government's largest departments manages staff welfare and attendance.
