- Research reveals a higher incidence of illness among hospital workers in Saarland.
Workers in Saarland kindergartens took more days off in 2023 compared to their counterparts in other professions. On average, they missed around 32 days last year, statistics from the Bertelsmann Foundation suggest. The average number of sick days for all professions stood at about 24 days.
The Saarland saw more sick days in the childcare sector than the rest of Germany. Countrywide, the childcare sector recorded an average of 29.6 sick days, as opposed to 20.1 days for all professions.
The Bertelsmann Foundation largely relies on data from the DAK health insurance company, which covers 12.2% of the nationwide childcare workforce. Data from other health insurance companies also corroborated this trend.
Expert Opinion: Employee Overload
Nationwide, there was a 26% increase in educator absences between 2021 and 2023, primarily due to mental stress. In the Saarland, mental health issues accounted for 26% of all sick days in the childcare sector.
"Many kindergartens are trapped in a vicious cycle: The growing number of sick employees leads to an increase in absences of specialists, making the workload even heavier for those still present. This makes it challenging to deliver high-quality early childhood education, care, and education in many places," explained Anette Stein, an expert in early childhood education at the Bertelsmann Foundation. The foundation recommended a legal framework for funding qualified staff coverage for all absences.
In contrast to other professions in Germany, where the average sick days were around 24 days in 2023, the Saarland reported a higher rate in the childcare sector with an average of 32 days. Moreover, nationwide, the childcare sector had an average of 29.6 sick days, significantly higher than the overall average of 20.1 days for all professions.
