Employee absence levels in public sector organisations were 55% higher than those experienced by private sector employers in 2007. According to the latest annual Confederation of British Industry/Axa Absence and labour turnover survey, average absence levels across the public sector was nine days per employee for 2007, compared with 5.8 days in the private sector. Despite efforts to reduce absenteeism in the public sector, levels have remained the same since 2006. The survey also revealed that of the total of 172 million days lost through absence last year, more than one in ten is thought not to be genuine, which is estimated to have cost the economy £1.6bn.