The working hours per worker lost in Catalonia due to medical leave since 2013 have doubled to 7.8 per month, according to estimates by the employers’ association Pimec with data from the INE. The business organization has warned this Tuesday that sick leave due to IT (temporary disability) increases when the economy improves its GDP (gross domestic product). This relationship was not fulfilled during the covid years due to the health emergency, the general secretary of Pimec, Josep Ginesta, has detailed.
The president of Pimec, Antoni Cañete, explained that in absenteeism “Catalonia is the second community with the highest incidence in the entire State.” In his opinion, it is necessary to raise a debate about absenteeism in the community. “We have to make the system more efficient and effective,” he added.
The report highlights that “the costs associated” with temporary disability are 2,420 euros per year per person. The employers’ calculations are that temporary disability is equivalent on average to 6.5% of labor costs.
The greater incidence in Catalonia has some explanation such as the greater weight of the industrial sector. Ginesta has said that the lower investment in health systems may be behind the lower casualties in Catalonia. In 2023, for every 1,000 workers there were 48 employees on sick leave per person. That level is only surpassed by Navarra with 52.
During the presentation of the report today, the employers’ association has put on the table some proposals to improve the situation, such as strengthening healthcare to accelerate the treatment of workers and making better use of the infrastructure of the mutual collaborators of Social Security. .
