Suche
Mein Konto
Sickness levels at record levels: 38 percent of employees were already absent in the first quarter
High level of sickness at the beginning of the year: According to DAK-Gesundheit, sickness among employees was 5.8 percent. Treasurer warns of persistently high default rates. Details about the causes and statistics.
Sickness levels at record levels: 38 percent of employees were already absent in the first quarter
According to an analysis by the health insurance company DAK-Gesundheit, absences from work due to illness remained at a high level at the beginning of the year. From January to the end of March, 38 percent of employees were on sick leave at least once. At 5.8 percent, the sickness rate was just below the peak in the first quarter of 2023. This meant that an average of 58 out of 1,000 employees were on sick leave every day.
Andreas Storm, the head of the cash register, warned that there was no all-clear in sight regarding sick leave in Germany. After record values in 2022 and 2023, high default rates continued to be established in the first quarter of 2024. Among those under 20, 59 percent had at least one sick note, while 33 percent of those over 60 were affected. The average duration of a sick leave was 4.4 days for younger employees, while it was 18 days for older employees.
Colds and other respiratory illnesses accounted for more than a quarter of the days missed. The evaluation was based on data from 2.2 million DAK-insured employees. Storm emphasized the need to take measures to promote health and well-being in the workplace in order to reduce the number of sickness absences.