Colds, mental health problems, back pain: According to health insurance data, there was no significant improvement in sickness rates among employed people at the start of the year.

According to an analysis by the Techniker Krankenkasse (Technical Health Insurance), sickness absences from work remained at an elevated level in the first half of the year. On average, employees were on sick leave for 9.5 days from January to June, according to the insurance company's own data. This was a slight decrease from an average of 9.6 days of absence in the first six months of 2024. In the first half of 2019, for example, the number was 7.8 days.

CEO Jens Baas told the German Press Agency that there was a cold and flu epidemic at the beginning of this year. "This is also reflected in the absence rates. In February, the sickness rate was higher than in previous years." According to the data, colds continued to be the most common diagnosis. On average, each employed person was off sick for 2.4 days in the first half of the year, compared to 2.3 days in the first half of 2024.

The second most common diagnosis was mental illnesses such as depression, with an average of 1.9 days of absence, followed by musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain and herniated discs, with an average of 1.3 days of absence per employed person in the first half of the year. The analysis is based on data from approximately six million employed people insured with the Techniker Krankenkasse (Technische Krankenkasse).