The sick leave rate among employed people was already high in 2023. This year, too, more employees are absent from work than before the pandemic. The KKH health insurance company sees a particular cause.
In the first half of 2024, a large number of people nationwide continued to be absent from work due to illness. According to data from the KKH Commercial Health Insurance Fund, the sick leave rate among KKH-insured employees was 6.5 percent in the first six months. In the first half of 2019 – before the pandemic – it was 5.0 percent.
In the first half of 2023, every working person was on sick leave twice on average – there were 204 absences per 100 working members of this health insurance fund. From January to the end of June 2024, there were even 210 work absences per 100 members.
Employees absent due to cold symptoms
According to the insurance company, the main reason for this is the persistently high number of respiratory diseases such as coughs, colds or flu infections: In the first half of 2024, this figure was 70 cases per 100 insured persons – after 69 cases in the same period last year and only 34 cases five years ago. Respiratory infections accounted for a third of all cases of illness from January to the end of June 2024 (34 percent).
According to a KKH spokeswoman, there are several reasons for the increased number. The sensitivity to the risk of infection from colds has been greater since the corona pandemic, which may be why more people are absent from work for this reason. Sick notes for only a few days have also been better recorded since the introduction of electronic sick notes. Previously, the insurance companies did not find out about all cases.
Source: Stern
