Workers in France took sick leave in record numbers last year. What are they entitled to, and how do other countries compare?
EDnews informs via Euronews that almost half of workers in France took at least one day of sick leave last year as absenteeism hit a new record, according to a new study.
It's the third year in a row that absenteeism is on the rise across all age groups, regardless of workers' seniority or the size of their company, insurer Axa highlighted in its latest "Datascope" report.
It noted that psychological motives such as burnout are the main factor behind long-term sick leaves.
Like several other countries, France relaxed the rules around sick leave at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, to help prevent the spread of the virus. But in recent months, like Germany, it's been rolling back on these special measures in a bid to reduce fraudulent claims.
So, how do paid leave allowances compare across Europe? And do more people call in sick when there are generous schemes in place?
Firstly, it's interesting to look at how much governments spend on sickness and health benefits overall. Germany ranks first in the EU, attributing 11 per cent of its GDP to sick leave and public medical care. It’s followed by France and the Netherlands (both at 10.2 per cent), according to the EU’s statistical office, Eurostat.
The EU countries that allocate the least to sickness and health benefits are Estonia (4.9 per cent), Lithuania (5 per cent), Poland, Hungary and Ireland (all 5.5 per cent).
According to 2020 figures, Germany is also the country that spends the most on sick leave benefits, specifically. The country allocates 2.3 per cent of its GDP to support sick employees. It’s followed by the Netherlands (2.1 per cent), Sweden (1.7 per cent) Spain (1.5 per cent) and Luxembourg (1.4 per cent).
The 2020 rankings may have been influenced by the coronavirus pandemic, but if we look at the 2018 figures, the countries with the highest expenditure are almost the same, except for Spain, which didn’t spend so much a few years back.
Does generous paid leave encourage people to call in sick?
You might assume that countries spending more on sick leave would be the ones where people take more time off work. But the reality is counterintuitive.
At the end of 2022, the countries with the biggest share of employed people absent from work were France (14.9 per cent) Finland (14.8 per cent), Sweden (14.7 per cent), Denmark (13.6 per cent), Estonia (13.2 per cent) and the Netherlands (12.4 per cent).
