In 2023, Spain reached an all-time high in sick leave due to temporary disability, recording more than 450 processes per 1,000 workers. This alarming increase has been analyzed in detail in the second report on the determinants of absenteeism, presented by Umivale Activa and the Valencian Institute of Economic Research (Ivie).
Incidence of sick leave by type of contingency
The incidence of sick leave varies according to the type of contingency and the managing entity:
- Common Contingencies Managed by Mutual Insurance Companies: 409 new sick leaves were recorded for every 1,000 workers, an increase of 67% compared to 2013.
- Common Contingencies Managed by the INSS: Here the increase is even more pronounced, with 138% more sick leave compared to 2013, reaching 414 new processes per 1,000 employed persons.
- Occupational Contingencies (Occupational Disease or Occupational Accident): The incidence is more moderate, with 41.6 new processes per 1,000 workers managed by mutual insurance companies and 59.6 by the INSS.
Economic and Productivity Impact
The report highlights that more than 396 million workdays were lost due to temporary disability in 2023, an increase of 62% compared to 2018. This equates to 1.1 million workers not attending work on any day of the year, or an average of 20 days of absence per worker due to IT.
Although the average duration of sick leave has decreased slightly to 34.4 days for common contingencies and 37.3 days for occupational contingencies, the sharp increase in the incidence of sick leave has counteracted this moderating effect.
Regional Differences in Absenteeism
The report also reveals significant differences in absenteeism among the autonomous communities:
- High Incidence: Navarre and Catalonia register approximately 600 casualties per 1,000 protected workers.
- Low Incidence: Extremadura, Asturias and Galicia have less than 300 casualties per 1,000 workers.
As for the duration of the processes, Extremadura and Galicia exceed 60 days on average, while the Balearic Islands, Madrid, Catalonia and Navarre have durations of around 25 days or less. Melilla, the Canary Islands, Galicia and the Basque Country top the list in terms of the percentage of working days lost, close to 7%, while Madrid, La Rioja and the Balearic Islands register the lowest percentages, around 4.5%.
Reflections and Future Research
Juan Miguel Mesa, in charge of the project on behalf of Umivale Activa, underlines the paradox of this phenomenon: “In a decade in which we are apparently taking more care of our diet and doing more physical exercise, and in which more measures have been implemented to promote work-life balance, why do we get sick more than we did ten years ago? That, among other things, is what we want to find out with this study.”
The report also points out that, although the reduction in the average duration of sick leave has had a moderating effect, it has not been sufficient to offset the increase in incidence, resulting in a higher intensity of absenteeism and an increase in the percentage of days lost.
This report is crucial for understanding the factors that influence absenteeism and its economic impact, and raises the need for future research to address long-term processes and other variables that affect productivity and occupational health in Spain.
