15 days per capita: This is how many working days we lose annually due to illness

Austrian employees were on sick leave for an average of 15.1 calendar days in 2024, according to the latest absence report from the Economic Research Institute (Wifo), presented on Wednesday. While this figure is similar to the previous year, long-term sick leave still stands out.

According to the report, sick leave with continuous absence of at least 40 days accounts for only around three percent of all cases, but accounts for about 40 percent of all sick leave days. If you include all cases with a cumulative absence of at least 40 days per year, the number rises to 18 percent, accounting for more than half of all sick leave days.

According to the analysis, injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, and mental illnesses are particularly common diagnoses for long-term sickness absence. The proportion of these long-term cases among all sick days has increased continuously since 1990 – from 31.6 to 39.2 percent in 2024.

The direct and indirect costs of sickness-related absences amounted to €5.8 billion in 2024 – equivalent to 1.2 percent of gross domestic product. From the perspective of WIFO Deputy Director Christine Mayrhuber, targeted health promotion is therefore essential: "We cannot afford to do nothing."

Peter McDonald, currently chairman of the umbrella organization of social insurance providers, wants to strengthen prevention with targeted incentives – especially in the area of ​​early cancer detection. Abuse of sick leave should also be more closely monitored. At the same time, the Chamber of Labor (AK) is calling for age-appropriate working conditions. The Chamber of Commerce (WK) emphasizes that a day of sick leave costs an average of €250 – therefore, the role of the Public Employment Service (AMS) in professional reintegration is crucial.

In the decade before the coronavirus pandemic, the average sick leave was around 13 days. There was a noticeable increase in 2022. The pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 are only partially comparable due to changes in recording methods, as many pandemic-related absences were not counted as regular sick leave.