Employees in small businesses are less likely to take time off work sick than workers in larger organisations, according to research published by the Office for National Statistics.

Workplaces with fewer than 25 employees had a sickness rate of 2.3%, compared to a 2.8% rate for companies that employed more than 500 workers.

"The difference between small and large employers can be explained by the different attitudes they have between long-term sickness absence," said Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress.

"Small employers are more likely to dismiss staff with a long-term illness, while larger ones are more likely to have sick pay schemes."

The research also revealed that young employees were more likely to take time off than older workers and that women have higher levels of sickness absence than men.