Jobseekers fake illness and death to get time off work

Three out of five people have called in sick at some point so that they could get time off work for a job interview, while one in five has faked the death of a family member, according to recruitment website Fish4Jobs.

A survey carried out for the site by pollsters NOP found that the top three excuses used by staff heading for an interview were all health-related, with 73% of those in the under-35 age group having called in sick.