Sickness absence is rising again: many people at home, especially in healthcare

Sickness absence among employees rose to 5.8 percent in the first quarter of 2025. That is considerably higher than a year earlier, according to new figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

Flu and colds in particular cause people to report sick, but in healthcare it is more often psychological complaints and work pressure that play a role.

Healthcare is again struggling with the highest absenteeism figures. In nursing, care and home care, absenteeism was as high as 9.7 percent. The figures are also on the rise in mental health care and care for the disabled. Only in social work did absenteeism fall slightly.

Flu, colds and viral infections are still the most frequently mentioned reasons for staying home sick. However, work pressure is a silent culprit. In 2024, 22 percent of absentees indicated that their complaints were (partly) work-related. Almost a third cited high work pressure as a reason for sick leave, followed by contamination in the workplace and physically demanding work.

That's not pretentious. Working too much and too hard can actually change your brain, Metro found. Building in buffer time could help with that.

While it peaks in healthcare, the hospitality industry continues to dangle at the bottom with the lowest absenteeism: 3.4 percent. During corona, absenteeism there shot up, but it has now returned to the old level. Absenteeism is also relatively low in agriculture, at 3.5 percent.

CBS always compares the same quarter of different years, to take seasonal influences into account. Viruses simply strike faster in the winter months. Nevertheless, the increase compared to last year (when absenteeism was 5.5 percent) is striking. By comparison: in 2016 the figure was still 4.3 percent.

Not only healthcare, but also education scores high on work-related absenteeism. Almost 3 out of 10 absentees in education indicated that their complaints were caused by work. In sectors such as financial services, ICT and hospitality, work plays a less important role in reporting sick.

Yet the Dutch are more likely to go to work sick than to stay home , Metro wrote earlier this year. But whether that is such a smart idea is still questionable.

UWV warns: 2,000 sick employees do not receive benefits after quitting their jobs each year

Police warn motorists about worrying phenomenon: 'Be alert for emergency lane gangs'