Slight decline in sick leave during first half of year

Working people insured by AOK Plus and Barmer took slightly less sick leave in Thuringia during the first half of the year, although the figures remained high.

AOK Plus reported a sickness rate of 7.4% among employed policyholders from January through June, down from 7.6% in the same period a year earlier. The share who received at least one sick note also fell, to 56.7% from 58.9%. Employees missed an average of 13.3 calendar days because of illness.

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Every avoided day of sickness is a gain for employees, companies and Thuringia’s economy as a whole.

Barmer recorded a sickness rate of 6.8%, compared with 7.1% a year earlier. Its insured employees averaged 12.3 days of incapacity. Robert Büssow, Barmer’s managing director in Thuringia, said the decline should continue. “Every avoided day of sickness is a gain for employees, companies and Thuringia’s economy as a whole,” he said.

Stefan Knupfer, head of AOK Plus, called the decline encouraging but said absences remained high. He pointed to long-term illnesses, saying, “Only four percent of cases cause 40 percent of all days absent.” Respiratory illnesses accounted for 24.9% of AOK Plus sick notes, followed by musculoskeletal disorders at 13%, digestive illnesses at 7.9% and injuries at 5.9%.

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Only four percent of cases cause 40 percent of all days absent.