Women, Young, and Public Employees: The Profile of Sick Leave in Spain

Sick leave in Spain represented a disbursement of **€16.5 billion** in 2024, with the most recurrent profile being a young, salaried woman with a history of previous absences.

## The High Cost of Temporary Incapacity

Spain's management of sick leave has been identified by the **Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (Airef)** as an area with "structural deficiencies." In February of this year, this body warned of apparent "dereliction of duty" by the Social Security in controlling these processes. The economic impact is considerable: in 2024, the cost of temporary incapacity (IT) derived from common contingencies, meaning those not related to work, amounted to **€16.5 billion**. This figure, surpassed only by pension expenditure, highlights the magnitude of the issue for state coffers.

## A Specific Demographic Profile

The analysis of data between 2017 and 2024 paints a profile of those who most frequently take sick leave. The predominant profile is a **woman**, **under 40 years old**, who is also a **mother** and employed. More specifically, workers in large public companies, with a medium-low salary and who have already had a temporary incapacity process in the previous year, are identified. Women, in general, show a **21% higher** propensity to initiate IT processes compared to men.

## Illnesses and Duration of Absences

The most common conditions leading to sick leave are **musculoskeletal**, **mental**, and **respiratory** illnesses. Mental illnesses, in particular, have the longest average durations, reaching **98.5 days** in 2024. The average duration of a temporary incapacity leave in Spain stands at **45.93 days**. Although more than 65% of absences are short-term, i.e., less than 15 days, an increase in the proportion of absences of less than three days has been observed between 2017 and 2024.

## Trends in Sick Leave Recurrence

Beyond the individual duration of each process, the increase in the frequency with which the same individuals initiate multiple leaves throughout the year is noteworthy. The percentage of individuals processing more than one annual temporary incapacity has grown significantly, from **23% in 2017** to **31.8% in 2024**. This data suggests a possible trend towards chronicity or greater ease in accessing short-term leaves that, when added up, increase the overall impact.