Absence from Work Report 2017. Absences Due to Sickness and Accidents in Austria – Focus on Workforce Ageing

This report provides an overview of the evolution and distribution of absences from work due to illness and accidents in Austria. In 2016 we observe a slight decrease of sickness absences with respect to 2015. On average, employees spent 12.5 calendar days on sick leave during the course of the year, this corresponds to a loss of working time of approximately 3.4 percent. This year’s report contains a focus on workforce ageing and the resulting challenges. On average and mainly due to longer sickness episodes, workers over 50 spend more days on sick leave than their younger colleagues. The share of workers with no or only few sickness absence days is however approximately the same across all age groups. Ageing is associated with changes, but not with an overall decline in work capacities: although health and physical capacity deteriorate as we get older, several other functions improve with age. The labour force participation of older persons can be improved through age-friendly work arrangements and other workplace measures.