The number of people unable to work due to burnout has risen sharply in recent years, with the Independent Health Insurance Funds reporting a 94% increase between 2018 and 2024.
Nearly one in five people on long-term sick leave or newly declared unfit for work is diagnosed with burnout, marking a dramatic rise since 2018.
Women and employees in office jobs account for two-thirds of these cases. Among the self-employed, burnout cases surged by 67%, according to the same data.
A quarter of those unable to work are dealing with other psychosocial issues, including mental and behavioural disorders. Additionally, musculoskeletal conditions such as knee osteoarthritis and back pain account for another 25% of cases.
These issues disproportionately affect manual labourers, while the number of self-employed individuals unable to work due to such ailments has risen by 77%.
“For many self-employed workers, being unable to work is not an option,” said Xavier Brenez, CEO of the Independent Health Insurance Funds. “They often wait until they can no longer continue, which exacerbates complaints and extends recovery time.”
The number of unfit-for-work self-employed individuals has still increased by 50%, a trend partly attributed to the 2019 removal of the waiting period for accessing benefits. This policy change allowed claims to be processed more quickly.
The Independent Health Insurance Funds stress the need to prioritise prevention to combat the rising trend. They recommend introducing medical guidelines for the duration of sick leave linked to common conditions.
They also call for workplace policies that promote well-being, better employer follow-up on employee health, and improved monitoring of burnout cases to differentiate them more accurately from other mental health disorders.
