Predicted Record High Absences Due to Sick Leave in 2024
In 2024, Work absences due to illness among employees in Germany are at an astounding peak, with mental health issues leading the charge. Contrary to belief, this surge in absenteeism isn't primarily linked to misused phone-based sick leave reporting, AOK asserted.
Based on data collected from sick notes, AOK calculated that there were approximately 225 sick days per 100 insured individuals due to illness from January to August this year. This is equivalent to the number of illness cases recorded throughout the whole of last year. The winter season and potential sickness outbreaks are still to come, they added.
Comparatively, the average number of sick days due to illness for each 100 insured individuals between 2014 and 2021 was approximately 160 per year.
Respiratory illnesses continued to be the most common reason for absence, with around 75 instances per 100 AOK members recorded for the year so far. The health insurance company predicts that this year will see a new record for these illnesses.
Mental health problems are also identified as a contributing factor. There were around 15 cases of mental illness per 100 insured individuals from January to August, already surpassing the number from the entire year of 2023. Given that mental illnesses often result in longer periods away from work, the number of sick days due to these issues has increased by nearly 50% from 2014 to 2024.
Since 2021, employees in Germany have been able to obtain sick notes over the phone. The Finance Minister, Christian Lindner (FDP), has recently advocated for this option to be abolished due to rising sick days. However, according to AOK, there is no substantial evidence indicating misuse on a large scale. It is possible that sick days are now being recorded more thoroughly due to the use of phone sick notes and automatic transmission to insurance companies, they suggested.
AOK has maintained that the increase in work absences due to illness among German employees in 2024, particularly due to mental health issues, is not primarily due to misuse of phone-based sick leave reporting, as commonly believed. In fact, the company's data shows that the number of sick days due to mental illness has increased by nearly 50% from 2014 to 2024, surpassing the number of cases from the entire year of 2023.
