Absence from Work Report 2024

Since 2020, the year in which the COVID-19 pandemic began, the development of sickness-related absences up to and including 2023 has been characterized by both an increase in the number of employees and an increase in absences. In 2023, employees spent an average of 15.4 calendar days on sick leave. This figure is half a day higher than in 2022. At 4.2 percent in 2023 and 4.1 percent in 2022, the loss of annual working time was higher than in the past two decades. The special evaluation and analysis of the absences of apprentices and young workers under the age of 30 shows that they have relatively more sick leave than older workers, with the higher proportion of injury-related absences among young male workers in this age group standing out. Those under 30 have more frequent absences due to respiratory diseases, infectious diseases and injuries than older workers.However, their average duration of illness is shorter.