Germany news: Sick leave wage bill doubles in 15 years
German firms paid out a record €86 billion in wages to employees on sick leave last year, according to new research. Meanwhile, dozens of firefighters tackled a blaze at a refugee home in Berlin overnight. DW has more.
German firms paid a record-high €85.6 billion in wages to employees who were out sick in 2022, more than double the amount paid in 2010, according to a study by the Cologne-based German Economic Institute (IW). The increase is attributed to higher wages, inflation in other employee costs, and a rise in recorded sick leave since electronic medical certificates were introduced in 2022.
IW also noted that the total number of employed people has grown since 2010, meaning more workers are eligible for sick leave. The IW study estimated that €72.5 billion of the total was gross wages, while €13.1 billion was for social security contributions.
Written by urgent.news from DW News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
