Work-skipping Andy watchers cost £120m

Published on Friday 3 July 2009 22:20

EXPERTS have put the cost of workers finishing early or phoning in sick to watch Andy Murray's semi-final encounter at some £120 million.

With around eight million viewers expected to tune in to the match, which started around 3:30pm, analysts believe around half of them will have taken time off.

Trading was said to have been subdued on the London stock exchange, with many City workers focused on the drama at Wimbledon.

Douglas McWilliams, chief executive of the Centre for Economics and Business Research, said: "It would probably be reasonable to assume a loss of about one and a half hour's productivity on average.

"Hourly GDP in the UK is 800 million so this would imply a loss of productivity of 120 million.

However, Mr McWilliams said the loss of productivity could be outweighed by an unexpected Friday-afternoon boost for licensed traders from thirsty fans.

He added: "When England played Argentina in the soccer world cup on 7 June, 2002 on a similar Friday afternoon, the England victory led to about 150 million extra being spent on food and drink, probably mainly the latter, in the pubs and clubs. Something similar could happen this afternoon.

"There will be fewer viewers than for the soccer, but the higher prices of drinks in 2009 could boost the number towards 100 million."

Meanwhile, Murray mania has been blamed for a huge increase in the number of workers taking "sickies" over the last week.

Absence management firm First Care said absences in the private sector had been 17 per cent higher than would be expected this year, while the number of NHS employees off was 30 per cent higher than normal.

Key factors, included swine flu and other flu-related illnesses, people suffering ill health in the hot weather and the drama of Murray's progress through Wimbledon.

Spokesman Aaraon Ross: "There is a remarkable difference compared to last year.

"We have seen a lot of people who have gone to work and they had to go home because the conditions are unbearable – because it is so hot.

"We have not been able to notice any trends in relation to the tennis because there have been such significant trends in weather-related absence and coughs, colds and flu."