The number of days lost to sick leave by UK industry has fallen to its lowest level in five years, according to new figures.

Absence levels dropped from 7.6 days per year to 6.6 days across the working landscape. The public sector average was 7.9 days and the private sector weighed in at just 5.5 days.

But the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), which published the figures, said the apparently good news could mask some “worrying trends”.

More than a third of employers reported that upward pressure on absence levels came from employees having to juggle a career with caring responsibilities.

The CIPD figures showed only one in six organisations have policies in place to create a better balance between home and working lives.

An additional two-fifths said they offered support on an ad-hoc basis, though they didn’t have a strategy to tackle the problem across the organisation.

“We’re seeing intergenerational issues coming to the fore; and in particular, a rise in the number of people with caring responsibilities,” said Jill Miller, CIPD research adviser, outlining the problem.

“This is an issue that is set to increase for the growing ‘sandwich generation.’ As people have children later, and are looking after parents in the ageing baby boomer generation, they find themselves caring for both their children and their older relatives.”

The figures also revealed an increase in the number of employees going to work sick – known as ‘presenteeism’. A third of bosses said this happened in their organisation.