Sick leave in Spain is soaring, growing five times faster than in the EU
Sick leave absences in Spain have risen 73% since 2018, compared with 16% across the EU. Spanish workers lose 4.9 weeks a year, more than in any other OECD country.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Temporary sick leave costs Spain around 92 billion euros a year and has grown by 73% since 2018, almost five times faster than the European average. A Spanish worker loses 4.9 weeks a year to illness, the highest figure in the OECD.
There is one figure worth keeping in mind before going any further: **92 billion euros**. That is what sick leave costs Spain every year, according to the first report by the Workplace Absenteeism Observatory of **Aecoc**, produced with Marlex and the mutual insurance company Umivale Activa and presented in Madrid. To put that in perspective, it is 20 billion more than public education spending. And it is not a one-off bad year: since 2018, absences due to temporary incapacity have risen **73%** in Spain, compared with 16% across the European Union as a whole. Almost five times faster.
## A Spanish worker loses 4.9 weeks a year, more than in any OECD country
The duration figure is the most uncomfortable one. The average Spanish worker loses **4.9 weeks a year** to illness. No other **OECD** country comes close. Since 2018 that time has grown by 69%, while the organisation's average rose by 15%. The absenteeism rate due to temporary incapacity has climbed 44% in six years, to **5.94%**.
The bill is by no means evenly distributed. Just **16.2%** of workers account for 69.3% of all sick leave and 62.6% of lost working days. And a handful of cases outweigh all the rest combined: leaves lasting more than a year make up only 2.4% of those that end, but swallow 34.1% of lost working days. These endless leaves have become 95% more prevalent since 2018. At the end of 2024, almost one in five active leaves (**17.4%**) had been open for more than twelve months.
## Sick leave among under-35s has soared by 152%
The profile of who takes sick leave has also changed. Among workers under 35, sick leave has grown by **152%**: from 16.3 to 41 per month per thousand workers. Among those over 55 it has fallen by 27%. But beware: the easy reading is misleading. When a veteran employee goes on leave, the absence lasts an average of **82.2 days**, compared with 20.9 for the youngest. Fewer leaves, but far longer ones.
Where work cannot be done from home, the impact is greater. Logistics records an absenteeism rate of **7.56%**; the food industry, 7.15%; road haulage, 6.48%; and retail, 6.15%. All above the national average. "We cannot approach all sick leave in the same way," warns **Héctor Blasco**, general manager of Umivale Activa, who adds a third factor to repetition and duration: the rise of hard-to-verify conditions, such as musculoskeletal disorders and mental health problems.
## Waiting lists are also driving sick leave
For the companies surveyed, one of the keys lies outside their doors: waiting lists. Every week of delay for a primary care appointment, a diagnostic test or an operation is another week of sick leave. Three out of four companies believe the current rules do little to curb unjustified absenteeism.
**Aecoc** proposes a permanent forum between public administrations, mutual insurance companies, trade unions and employers, and puts forward five lines of action: strengthening public healthcare to cut waiting times, better connecting information systems, giving mutual insurance companies a bigger role in managing ordinary sick leave, updating the regulations and reinforcing social dialogue. Employers admit they still have homework to do on working conditions, work-life balance and leadership. Those doing best invest in in-house medical services, monitoring of sick leave, psychological support and ergonomic workstations.
No one disputes the right to fall ill. "Anyone who needs sick leave should get it, and should get it with every guarantee," stresses the employers' association president, **Ignacio González**. The goal is a different one: cutting the share of those 92 billion euros that could be avoided. If this issue affects you directly, it is worth consulting a healthcare or employment professional before making decisions.
There is one figure worth keeping in mind before going any further: **92 billion euros**. That is what sick leave costs Spain every year, according to the first report by the Workplace Absenteeism Observatory of **Aecoc**, produced with Marlex and the mutual insurance company Umivale Activa and presented in Madrid. To put that in perspective, it is 20 billion more than public education spending. And it is not a one-off bad year: since 2018, absences due to temporary incapacity have risen **73%** in Spain, compared with 16% across the European Union as a whole. Almost five times faster.
## A Spanish worker loses 4.9 weeks a year, more than in any OECD country
The duration figure is the most uncomfortable one. The average Spanish worker loses **4.9 weeks a year** to illness. No other **OECD** country comes close. Since 2018 that time has grown by 69%, while the organisation's average rose by 15%. The absenteeism rate due to temporary incapacity has climbed 44% in six years, to **5.94%**.
The bill is by no means evenly distributed. Just **16.2%** of workers account for 69.3% of all sick leave and 62.6% of lost working days. And a handful of cases outweigh all the rest combined: leaves lasting more than a year make up only 2.4% of those that end, but swallow 34.1% of lost working days. These endless leaves have become 95% more prevalent since 2018. At the end of 2024, almost one in five active leaves (**17.4%**) had been open for more than twelve months.
## Sick leave among under-35s has soared by 152%
The profile of who takes sick leave has also changed. Among workers under 35, sick leave has grown by **152%**: from 16.3 to 41 per month per thousand workers. Among those over 55 it has fallen by 27%. But beware: the easy reading is misleading. When a veteran employee goes on leave, the absence lasts an average of **82.2 days**, compared with 20.9 for the youngest. Fewer leaves, but far longer ones.
Where work cannot be done from home, the impact is greater. Logistics records an absenteeism rate of **7.56%**; the food industry, 7.15%; road haulage, 6.48%; and retail, 6.15%. All above the national average. "We cannot approach all sick leave in the same way," warns **Héctor Blasco**, general manager of Umivale Activa, who adds a third factor to repetition and duration: the rise of hard-to-verify conditions, such as musculoskeletal disorders and mental health problems.
## Waiting lists are also driving sick leave
For the companies surveyed, one of the keys lies outside their doors: waiting lists. Every week of delay for a primary care appointment, a diagnostic test or an operation is another week of sick leave. Three out of four companies believe the current rules do little to curb unjustified absenteeism.
**Aecoc** proposes a permanent forum between public administrations, mutual insurance companies, trade unions and employers, and puts forward five lines of action: strengthening public healthcare to cut waiting times, better connecting information systems, giving mutual insurance companies a bigger role in managing ordinary sick leave, updating the regulations and reinforcing social dialogue. Employers admit they still have homework to do on working conditions, work-life balance and leadership. Those doing best invest in in-house medical services, monitoring of sick leave, psychological support and ergonomic workstations.
No one disputes the right to fall ill. "Anyone who needs sick leave should get it, and should get it with every guarantee," stresses the employers' association president, **Ignacio González**. The goal is a different one: cutting the share of those 92 billion euros that could be avoided. If this issue affects you directly, it is worth consulting a healthcare or employment professional before making decisions.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (5 replies).
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