Back pain, burnout and co. Highest number of sick leave since 20 years

More absenteeism due to back problems and mental illness
In the first six months of this year, employees in Germany reported more sick than in previous years. This shows a recent analysis of DAK health. Accordingly, the sick leave in the first half of the year was 4.4 percent - and was thus as high as last in the 1990s. More than one in three professionals submitted a "yellow certificate" to the analysis at least once. The relatively high number of sick leave is attributable above all to an increased number of days lost due to mental suffering and diseases of the musculoskeletal system, according to the DAK.

More than every third employee has been sick at least once
The sick leave rate in the first half of 2016 was higher than it had been in a long time. As emerges from a recent analysis of the statutory health insurance DAK-Gesundheit, this amounted to 4.4 percent and thus increased compared to the first half of 2015 by 0.3 percentage points. The term "sick leave" refers to the number of employees who have been sick in a certain period in a company. According to the DAK, more than every third employed person (37 percent) submitted a sick leave at least once to the employer.

Employees are increasingly submitting a "yellow glow" because of mental health problems or musculoskeletal disorders. (Image: M. Schuppich / fotolia.com)

Professionals in the East are missing more often and longer
An illness lasted on average 12.3 days, in the same period last year it was still 11.7 days. When comparing the countries, it was found that employees in the eastern federal states with a sick leave rate of 5.5 percent were sick more frequently and longer than in the same period of the previous year (2015: five percent). In the west, however, the sick leave rate of 4.2 percent was much lower. This affects the health insurance according to the number of days lost. Because in the East, with 1,000 days lost per 100 insured persons, 32 percent more lost days were documented than in the West (758 days lost per 100 insured).

Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common reason for days off
The deciding factor for the comparatively high sickness rate is primarily the increase in days of absence due to mental health problems and musculoskeletal disorders. Here, the number of days off lost by 13 percent. Back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders are the most common reason for sick leave. Every fifth day of absence went back to it (22 percent), with men being slightly more affected than women. Second place diseases of the respiratory system such. Asthma or chronic bronchitis with a 17 percent share of total disease.

Women are significantly more affected by mental illness
In the first half of 2016, employees were nearly as ill due to mental illness (16% share of sick leave). Women were nearly twice as likely to be unable to work as men due to depression and other mental illnesses. The downtime of these diagnoses was particularly long with an average of 35 days and even exceeded the average disease duration of cancer (32 days). All in all, these three types of illness are responsible for more than 50% of days lost.

Less sick due to colds
A strong cold wave as at the beginning of 2015 was according to the DAK, not recorded this year. Last year, the classic complaints of a flu infection, such as cough, runny nose and hoarseness, accounted for 20.4 percent of total sickness. In 2016, these complaints reached a share of 17 percent. (No)