Galicia reports rising sick leave costs and stagnant business growth

Economic indicators for Galicia show a significant rise in the costs associated with sick leave and a divergence between employment growth and business numbers.

According to AMAT, the cost of sick leave due to common illness or non-occupational accidents in Galicia rose by 13.5% in 2025, reaching 1,723.8 million euros. This represents an increase of over 200 million euros compared to 2024. While the incidence of sick leave in the region is lower than the Spanish average, the duration of leave is notably higher, averaging 78.85 days compared to the national average of 41.9 days.

Data from Funcas indicates that while Galicia's Social Security affiliation reached a record high for August with 1,134,483 members—a 2.1% year-on-year increase—the number of employer companies has remained stagnant. The number of companies with salaried employees showed a year-on-year variation of nearly 0.0% in July, contrasting with the growth seen in the rest of Spain.