The survey by employment law firm Peninsula also found that Birmingham is the 'sickie' capital of Britain, with 85% of workers pulling the wool a 10% increase on the previous year.
Across the country there was an average increase of 5.4% in the number of workers claiming fake illnesses over 2003.
The survey suggests that stress, motivation and the balancing of work from domestic life is a big factor in the reasoning for absence.
More than 70% of workers admitted they have been absent from work due to stress-related problems.
And 63% said they found it difficult to balance their time between work and their life at home. Only around a third (36%) said they found their job motivating.
Peter Done, managing director of Peninsula, said: "The implications of absenteeism cost businesses in the UK billions of pounds every year with productivity and efficiency greatly affected. The evidence suggests that the problem is still very much affecting UK businesses nationally and poses problems for human resource departments around the country.
"It is therefore vital that staff feel valued, that their role in the organisation is recognised and appreciated by the employer. This creates motivation amongst workers, which will inevitably lead to a reduction in the alarming number of staff who take time off work."
