Spain leads the European Union in terms of workplace absenteeism rates and growth in the number of workers with recognized temporary incapacity. These two phenomena do not only impact business productivity
Data up to December 2023 is enough to show that the sick leave rate in Spain has doubled, to 4.1%. With these figures, In fact, the community average is 2.5%.
In 2023, the latest year for which there are comprehensive official statistics, absenteeism and sick leave continued their upward trend, reaching the highest levels of the last decade in Spain. Last year, More than 450 sick leave due to temporary disability were recorded per thousand workers in the country, which is the highest figure since 2013.. This information has been compiled in the latest study on the determinants of absenteeism from work, carried out by Umivale Activa and the Valencian Institute of Economic Research (IVIE).
In the same spirit, a report from the Catalan employers’ association Foment del Treball states that On average, 1.5 million workers are absent from work every day, which translated into euros in 2023 representing a total cost throughout Spain of 37,000 million.. If last year’s data is analyzed, the hours cited not working due to illness or accidents saw an increase, reaching almost 19.9 million, representing an increase of 12% compared to the first quarter. of 2022. Currently, currently, Up to 5.7% of the hours cited correspond to sick leave, which represents 1.7 percentage points more than in 2019.
This growth in hours not worked due to disability has remained consistent over the past five years and now represents 63% more compared to the first quarter of 2019. The report from the General Treasury of Social Security also reveals that, on the other hand, the hours contributed barely increased by 13% during the same period.
According to the report from the Valencian Institute of Economic Studies, more than 40% of Spanish workers were on sick leave during 2023. This absenteeism from work generates an estimated cost of 17,000 million euros per year, which represents more than 1% of the country’s gross domestic product.
Between the key factors of the increment in the low labor rates, first of all, the envejecimiento of the population is removed, which affects the labor force and increases the demand for medical attention. Secondly, On the other hand, the good performance of the labor market influences this phenomenon, as well as a change in the perception of work and health.
The strength of the labor market has a significant impact on the increase in sick leave. The number of temporary disabilities is linked to employment status; In times of crisis, the number of absences from work tends to decrease, while in times of economic growth this figure increases. This is the reason why, in difficult times, employees have to react during the days they are locked up because they have lost their jobs, where they frequently present themselves to other people included when they do not encounter optimal health conditions.
The rate of absenteeism due to temporary incapacity stands at 5.5%, up 0.3 points over one year. This absenteeism is equivalent to 1,205,851 workers not present at work during the quarter.
Regarding workplace accidents, the incidence of accidents rose to 216 per 100,000 workers during working hours, with a quarterly increase of 8% and a slight year-on-year decrease of 1%. Daily work accidents increased to 138,694 (10% intertrimestral and 1% interannual), while on-the-job accidents increased to 22,295 (11% intertrimestral and 5% interanual). Most accidents are minor, with fatal accidents accounting for only 0.1%.
The educational groups most affected by the casualty rate of young people aged 16 to 19, both men and women, while the sector with the greatest burden of absenteeism is maritime and inland water transport (13.3 %), followed by Gaming and betting activities (12.9%) and health activities (12.3%). On the other hand, the sectors with less absenteeism from its publishing, real estate activities and related activities with the employee, all of them with less than 4%. Concerning accidents, the sector most affected is that of Construction.
The incidence of low labor rates presents notable differences between the autonomous communities in Spain. Navarra and Catalonia are shipped with a pile of 600 dollars worth of money for every thousand workers. In contrast, regions such as Extremadura, Asturias and Galicia report fewer than 300 workers for less than 1,000 workers. These data reflect the disparity in labor absenteeism at national level. The study also highlights large differences in the duration of sick leave between regions.
For other people, Melilla, Canarias, Galicia and the Country you will be affected by higher levels of absenteeism, losing some 7% of potential days this year. For their part, Madrid, La Rioja and the Balearic Islands recorded the lowest levels, with a loss of 4.5% of days.
