Absenteeism due to sick leave costs Europe billions of euros each year, according to an analysis published by Bloomberg.
The increase in the frequency and duration of sick leave across Europe is attributed to the impact of COVID-19, an aging workforce, growing awareness of stress’s effects on mental health, and flexible social and healthcare systems accommodating sick leave.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports that Norwegians took the most sick leave in 2022, averaging 27.5 days annually, the highest level in 15 years.
In the UK, the number of economically inactive working-age people has risen by nearly 800,000 since 2020. Long-term absences due to illness now cost the British economy nearly £33 billion (€40 billion) annually. Swiss insurance company Zurich warns that these costs could double by the end of the decade.
German employers spent a record €77 billion on employee sick leave last year, more than double the amount in 2010, according to the Institute for Economic Research. Government estimates indicate that sick leave costs Germany around €200 billion annually.
