AOK analysis: Sickness rates at record levels

The cold wave has arrived in Germany. According to the health insurance company AOK, sick leave due to colds, flu , and coronavirus has been rising again since September. They had already reached a peak in February. AOK expects the overall balance for 2025 to be similar to that of the previous year.

In 2024, sickness absence was higher than ever before, with employees reporting sick an average of 2.3 times. "With 228 cases of incapacity for work per 100 members, the previous record of 225 cases per 100 members in 2023 has been exceeded once again," the health insurance company announced. By comparison, the average for the years 2014 to 2021 was approximately 160 cases of illness per 100 insured persons per year.

Respiratory diseases account for the majority of cases, followed by musculoskeletal disorders and mental health problems. While employees with respiratory diseases are able to return to work after an average of 5.9 days, those with mental health problems are absent for significantly longer, averaging 28.5 days per case.

AOK does not believe that the increase is related to the possibility of submitting sick notes by telephone, especially since in 2024, less than two percent of all cases of incapacity for work due to respiratory illnesses were reported by telephone. The introduction of electronic sick notes may be a more significant factor, the insurance company says. This allows for more complete recording of absences. Until 2022, neither doctors nor patients were required to report sick notes to their respective health insurance companies .