Austria's companies at the limit: Record hospitals cost billions!

Austria's companies at the limit: Record hospitals cost billions!

Österreich - The domestic economy is faced with alarming trends: the number of sick leave in Austria reaches a maximum. In 2023, the average number of illness days for dependent employees was 15.4 days - an increase of 4.6 percent compared to 2022, as the umbrella organization of the social security institutions (DVSV) reported. According to the 2024 absenteeism, respiratory diseases and Covid-19 are essential factors for this increase, which also caused costs of 5.3 billion euros in 2022. Occupational psychologist Andreas Hermann sees the problem not only in the increase in sick leave, but also in the stress that they bring for companies and colleagues.

rising costs for employers

The costs for continued payment of wages in the event of illness reach record values in Germany. Employers must continue to pay the salary in the first six weeks of illness, which cost an estimated 76.7 billion euros in 2023 - an amount more than twice as high compared to 2010. According to a report, these costs are characterized by rising salaries, an increasing number of employees subject to social security contributions and above all an increase in the average days of illness, which rose from 13.2 days in 2010 to 22.6 days in 2022, so iWd.de .

The demographic change and mental illnesses also increase, which means that older workers are more susceptible to muscle and skeletal diseases. These changes lead to longer absenteeism and present employers with major challenges, since the proportion of mental illnesses on the work incapacity for work has increased continuously. Hermann suggests introducing a flexible model in which employees can work partially despite existing complaints. After an operation, a bank employee could spend 50 percent of their working hours in the office, which would benefit both companies and the employees.