Sickness absence, Q1 2009

In the rest of this article, the figures are not corrected for the Easter effect.

Absence certified by a doctor increased from 6.2 to 6.4 per cent, while self-certified absence remained stable at 1.2 per cent. The sickness absence in the first quarter of 2009 was almost on the same level as in the first quarter of 2001; the year of the implementation of the agreement on an inclusive labour market.

Increase in sickness absence in industries affected by the financial crisis

The increase was largest in construction, manufacturing of fabricated metal products and motor vehicle parts, sale of motor vehicles and certain real estate and other business activities. While the gain in the total sickness absence (self-certified and doctor-certified) was 3.3 per cent last year, the increase in these industries was more than 7 per cent.

In manufacturing and construction the growth was in doctor-certified absence.

In industries dominated by the public sector, there were only minor changes in the sickness absence last year.

Continued rise for men

Men had a larger portion of employees in the private sector than women, and especially in industries affected by the financial crisis. The doctor-certified absence for men contributed to the increase in the total sickness absence, with a growth of 7.6 per cent. For women, the increase was 0.8 per cent. The self-certified sickness absence for men remained unchanged, while rising 1.2 per cent for women.

The sickness absence level for men is however still lower than for women; 6.2 and 9.5 per cent respectively.

Unchanged proportion of long-term absence

The proportion of sickness absence certified by a doctor and lasting for more than 31 days was 59.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2009. This is the same level as in the first quarter of 2008. The proportion of self-certified sickness absence compared to the total sickness absence fell from 16.3 to 15.9 per cent.

Reduced sickness absence among older women

The sickness absence decreased for women between 45 and 66 years. The strongest decline was found in the age group 55-59 years. On the other hand, women in the youngest age groups had an increase in the sickness absence. The strongest increase was found in the age group 20-24 years with 6.3 per cent.

In most age groups the sickness absence for men increased. The age group 45-49 years had the strongest growth with 10.2 per cent, followed by the age group 30-34 years with 10.1 per cent.

These results are based on data on sickness absence certified by a doctor, as the survey on self-certified absence does not contain data on sickness absence by age.

Tables:

Tables

Published tables