Absences Due to Mental Health in Upper Austria

Mental illnesses pose a major obstacle to gainful employment and are one of the major causes of disability. Over the last decades, their importance for sick leave has also risen sharply. This report looks at the development and distribution of sick leave due to mental illness in Upper Austria between 2005 and 2016. After a sharp rise in the 2000ies, absenteeism due to mental illness declined slightly between 2011 and 2016. This decline was primarily due to a reduction in sick leave durations. The unemployed recorded a much higher number of mental sick leaves than the employed, but their development followed a similar pattern over time.