11/08/2026
Presenteeism is estimated to cost Australian businesses approximately $35 billion a year*. Behind that figure are people who are technically at work, but whose health is affecting their capacity to function at their best.
Chronic disease and declining health don't only create a burden at diagnosis — their effects accumulate across workplaces, families, healthcare systems and the wider economy long before that point.
Prevention sitting at the margins of healthcare is a structural failure, not a minor gap. Earlier identification of risk, longitudinal health information used well, and intervention before disease becomes complex all carry value well beyond the individual patient.
Prevention is an economic imperative.
Source: Australian workplace presenteeism cost data, 2026 analysis