Absenteeism in Spain is becoming a major problem for businesses; in the last four years, the number of employees on sick leave has steadily increased. What began as a post-pandemic adjustment has transformed into a structural challenge to productivity.
Since 2022, the number of Temporary Disability (TD) claims has been steadily increasing and shows no signs of slowing down. The number of claims has risen from approximately 7,5 million in 2022 to 9,2 million in 2025, representing a 22% increase in just four years. This surge has driven up the cost of benefits, which now exceeds €28.000 billion.
This means that more than 1,5 million people do not go to their workplace every day.
The following table shows the evolution of the processes:
| Year | IT processes (estimated) | Key Observations |
| 2022 | ~7,5 million | Initial post-pandemic peak (Ómicron variant). |
| 2023 | ~8,1 million | Growth of 9% compared to the previous year. |
| 2024 | ~8,7 million | Historic record with a cost of +€28.000M. |
| 2025 | ~9,2 million | Moderate growth (12%) but at peak prevalence. |
However, not all sectors of activity are equally affected by illness; the gap between different sectors is very significant and reflects both the nature of the physical effort and the psychological pressure.
- The service sector under pressure: Postal and courier activities lead the ranking with absenteeism rates approaching 12,5%Health and social services follow closely behind, where "caregiver burnout" has taken its toll after years of high demands.
- Industry and construction: Although the industry maintains a rate of 7,5%Construction remains the "black spot" for accidents, accounting for the majority of casualties from traumatic accidents.
- The digital oasis: At the other end of the spectrum, the Information and Communications sector maintains the lowest rates (4%), demonstrating that flexible working hours and teleworking act as buffers for IT.
Another factor to consider is age; analyzing the last four years reveals a generational paradox:
- Young people (between 16 and 35 years old): they have a higher rate of sick leave processes (around 44,5 processes per 1.000 workers), but they are brief and mild, that is, sick leave is more frequent in these age groups, but they return to work sooner.
- Seniors (between 50 and 65 years old): This group is the one that truly strains the system, since, although there are fewer cases, they are long-term. One of the clear causes is the aging of the working population, leading to a 169% increase in lost workdays in this segment compared to the last decade, due to chronic illnesses and much slower recoveries.
Analyzing the types of ailments, we see that pathologies have mutated in recent years from lower back pain to mental illnesses:
- Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs): They remain the main cause (lower back pain, neck pain), especially in physical sectors.
- Mental Health (Anxiety, Depression, Stress): It is the group that has grown the most in average durationIn 2024 and 2025, these absences became the second leading cause of long-term sick leave.
- Minor Pathologies (Infections): Flu and respiratory illnesses generate seasonal peaks (winter) but have little impact on the accumulated cost due to their short duration.
- Work accidents: Although the total number of serious accidents has decreased slightly (735 deaths in 2025 compared to 796 in 2024), accidents ongoing (going to or from work) have increased due to the full return to in-person work.
It is impossible to analyze the evolution of sick leave without considering the public healthcare system, since the increase in the duration of sick leave is due not only to the illnesses themselves but also to the healthcare system, with its waiting lists and delays in medical examinations. It is common for tests to take several months to be carried out for any diagnosis, thus contributing to extending the time workers are on sick leave, with the corresponding costs.
In conclusion, the outlook for 2026 remains complicated, and solutions must come comprehensively from all stakeholders involved in the decline.
The healthcare system needs to expedite diagnostic testing to avoid artificially prolonging sick leave. It faces a sustainability challenge with costs that have doubled in the last six years, and companies must move towards emotional well-being programs to reduce mental health-related absences, as well as ergonomic prevention measures to reduce physical illnesses.
The challenge is clear: job creation does not have to go hand in hand with an increase in the collapse of the healthcare and social services system.
Salvador Mut Ribes
Director of the Labor Department
