The number of sick days of German employees has risen significantly in the past decade. This emerges from the response of the Federal Government to a small request from the left-wing group. According to the study, the number of sickness-insured employees' sick days rose by 71 percent from just under 319 million in 2008 to around 546 million in 2017.
Although the number of employees has also risen in recent years, the average sickness rate of legally insured persons has also increased. According to the German government, it rose from 3.5 percent in 2008 to 4.5 percent in 2018 for women. In 2008, it was 3.3 and last year four percent.
Mental illness second most common cause
Mental disorders and behavioral disorders have been reported to replace respiratory diseases as the second leading cause of sick leave. Nearly 98 million sick days were attributable to mental illness in 2017, representing an increase of 144 percent since 2008. Men were significantly less affected with 39 million days than women with just over 59 million days. In the men, the number even increased by 160 percent, in the women by 135 percent.
According to the German government, the most common reason for sick leave was "Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue" with almost 139 million sick days, an increase of 63 percent, respiratory diseases being the third most frequent diagnosis with around 82 million days. That's an increase of 74 percent.
