A new report sheds light on the health record of Germany’s federal workforce — and reveals just how much illness costs the state. In 2023, the roughly 308,000 employees working for federal institutions were on sick leave for an average of 21 days, or 8.35 % of total working time, according to internal government data.
That marks a slight improvement from the record year 2022, when absenteeism hit an all-time high. On average, sick days per employee fell by 0.75 days, from 21.71 to 20.96 days. Still, the figure remains well above pre-pandemic levels.
Beamte healthier than staff, women more absent than men
Civil servants were absent an average of 20.55 days, while salaried employees and workers missed 23.3 days due to illness. A gender gap also remains: women averaged 22.36 sick days, compared with 19.99 days for men.
By comparison, private-sector employees — according to data from Germany’s company health insurance funds (BKK) — were sick for an average of 22.4 days in 2023. Experts believe the real numbers may be slightly higher, since unreported absences without a doctor’s certificate (so-called Karenztage) are not included in official statistics.
Wide gap between ministries and agencies
The differences between departments are striking. At the top of the list are staff at the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media, who missed 27.06 days on average — far above the federal average. They are followed by the Defence Ministry (23.54 days), the Bundestag administration (22.71 days), and the Bundesrat (21.81 days).
By contrast, employees of the Independent Oversight Council, established in 2022 to monitor Germany’s intelligence services, were the healthiest, with just 9.13 sick days per year. Low absence rates were also recorded at the Federal Constitutional Court (11.83 days) and the Development Ministry (12.86 days).
Sick pay costs reach record levels
The broader trend across the German labour market remains worrying: the cost of employee sick leave continues to climb. According to the German Economic Institute (IW), wage continuation payments — which employers must cover during illness — reached a record €82 billion in 2024, up €10 billion from just three years earlier.
Since 2010, these costs have more than doubled, rising to 2.2 times their previous level. Economists warn that the financial strain is becoming a structural issue for both public and private employers.
Debate reignites over doctor’s notes and sick days
The rising costs have reignited debate about how to manage absenteeism. Andreas Gassen, head of Germany’s National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), recently proposed that employees should only be required to present a doctor’s note from the fourth or fifth day of illness, in order to relieve pressure on medical practices.
But employers’ associations rejected the idea. Steffen Kampeter, head of the Confederation of German Employers (BDA), warned that extending the waiting period would “burden businesses and weaken the integrity of sick leave controls.”
For now, the government is unlikely to touch the current rules — but as the numbers show, Germany’s sickness costs are already one of the most expensive “silent drains” on its economy.
