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German insurers tackle mental‑health sick‑leave surge

Updated 4 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-03 02:34 UTC → 2026-08-03 18:52 UTC · added removed

By late July 2026 German insurers continue to confront grapple with a sharp rise in mental‑health‑related sick leave. DAK‑Gesundheit’s analysis released on 20 July showed of 2.2 million insured shows the overall sick‑leave rate fell slightly to 5.3 % and average absence to 9.6 days, yet in the first half of 2026, but psychological disorders rose 9 % year‑on‑year to become year‑on‑year, becoming the leading cause, cause and overtaking respiratory infections. A follow‑up report on 25 July confirmed Musculoskeletal complaints remain third. Long‑term absences are driving costs. BKK data indicate that sickness‑benefit payments reached €21.6 billion in the first half of 2026 mental‑health illnesses were the top reason for sick leave nationwide, with Bavaria seeing 2025 – a 12 % increase, Hessen 9 % and Niedersachsen 7 %. Across Germany the average number of sick‑leave record – with benefit days per worker remained high at up 24.4 % over ten years. Although mental‑health certificates represent only about 22 days in 2024, one of the highest in Europe. Data from BKK insurers and AOK indicate mental disorders now account for 4.8 5 % of all sickness cases and that mental‑health‑related sick‑days among AOK members have risen 47 % since 2014. sick‑certificates, their average duration exceeds five weeks, making them a disproportionate cost driver. The governing coalition government led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to abolish telephone‑issued certificates tighten reporting rules, abolishing telephone certifications and to require requiring a medical certificate from the first day one. The Federal Employment Agency reports that in 2024 employees were sick on average 14.8 days, with 5.9 % of absence – a measure critics argue adds bureaucracy without addressing the underlying drivers. Researchers continue to point workforce absent on any given day. Companies are turning to chronic understaffing, low pay and high emotional demands in healthcare, education AI‑enabled screenings, wearable health devices and social‑work sectors as the root causes of the absenteeism surge. New data from the KKH data‑driven occupational health management to detect issues early, while navigating stricter data‑privacy rules. Kaufmännische Krankenkasse show that in 2025 German employees (KKH) recorded a record 119 sick days sick‑days per 100 insured in 2025 due to acute stress reactions and adjustment disorders – an 80 % rise since 2017 and – making stress‑related conditions the third‑most frequent reason for cause of sick leave after respiratory infections and back pain. leave. Experts attribute link the jump trend to constant connectivity, ambiguous expectations and blurred work‑life boundaries, noting a “post‑holiday syndrome” that further depresses mood and concentration after vacations. These findings broaden the picture of mental‑health‑driven absenteeism, linking workplace stress to the ongoing sick‑leave surge. boundaries.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-03 18:52 UTC German insurers tackle mental‑health sick‑leave surge
  2. 2026-08-03 02:34 UTC German insurers tackle mental‑health sick‑leave surge
  3. 2026-07-27 12:33 UTC German insurers tackle mental‑health sick‑leave surge
  4. 2026-07-27 12:31 UTC German insurers tackle mental‑health sick‑leave surge
  5. 2026-07-27 06:25 UTC German insurance sector risks and reforms

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