Media report: Older employees are twice as likely to be on sick leave

Media report Older employees are more likely to be on sick leave As of: November 11, 2026 • 7:51 a.m

Older workers call in sick more than 30 days a year - about twice as many as the average. This is reported by the Rheinische Post. 60 to 65 year olds are also more likely to be absent for longer periods of time.

According to a media report, older employees in Germany now have an average of more than 30 days of incapacity for work per year. People with health insurance between the ages of 60 and 65 had an average of 31.3 days of incapacity for work in 2024, according to a response from the Federal Ministry of Health to a written question from the Left parliamentary group in the Bundestag, which was available to the Rheinische Post.

This puts them well above average: According to the Federal Statistical Office, employees in Germany were on sick leave for almost 15 working days per year in 2025. The Ministry of Health relies on figures from the statutory health insurance (GKV). Older employees were usually on sick leave because of colds or flu-like infections.

The proportion of older people is particularly high in administration, where they make up almost a third. more

According to the Ministry of Health, the number of cases of incapacity for work lasting more than a year among those aged 60 to 65 has increased significantly in recent years. In 2024, more than 96,100 employees were on sick leave for more than a year without interruption, according to the answer. In the previous year, almost 92,000 people between the ages of 60 and 65 were unable to work for more than a year at a time. According to the information, the number in 2022 was around 80,300 people.

The pension policy spokeswoman for the Left in the Bundestag, Sarah Vollath, sees the figures as a “clear warning signal”. Older employees “could not continue to work indefinitely,” she told the Rheinische Post. At the same time, the left-wing politician criticized the coalition's pension plans: "If the federal government has its way, the start of retirement for employees will soon become even more distant due to the further increase in the standard retirement age. This completely ignores the reality of life for older employees."

This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | Sick leave among older employees is increasing | 11/11/2026 | 05:00 am