Report shows quarter of Rome city staff off work at any one time.

Rome's commissioner Francesco Paolo Tronca has promised to take tough action against absenteeism after leaked statistics published in the capital's daily newspaper Il Messaggero revealed that nearly a quarter of city employees are off work at any one time.

During 2015 an average of 5,286 public workers – almost 23 per cent of the total 23,083 – were off work on any given day.

Some were on paid holiday time but most were claiming sick leave, often on days either side of the weekend.

Staff on the city's payroll include more than 11,000 administrative workers, over 6,000 traffic police, some 4,000 kindergarten teachers and around 120 managers.

Figures from 2015 reveal an average of 18.6 per cent of city employees off work in Milan, and 16.2 per cent in Naples.