Short-term sick leave in Belgium rose to a record high in the first quarter of 2022. It amounted to 3.6% of all working days, according to an analysis by the HR services company Acerta.
Short-term leave is defined as when employees are absent for a day, a few days or up to a month. From January to March, it was over half the amount recorded in the first quarter of 2019, before Covid-19, Belga News Agency Reports.
But the record is not a surprise, as the figures were also rising in 2021.
Greatest increase among young people
According to Acerta, the increase is greatest among young people: +78.7% compared to the first quarter of 2019 for employees under the age of 20, and +61.3% among 20- to 24-year-olds.
However, young people remain ill proportionally less often than older workers, and employees in the care sector are more than average briefly ill (4.1% of all workable days).
Acerta expert Ellen Van Grunderbeek pointed out that during the first quarter, the mask obligation was dropped, as was the mandatory quarantine.
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“It will be the case that especially young people have picked up their social life. They probably also have more contacts, direct and indirect, for example through their children,” said Van Grunderbee.
“Moreover, the percentage of people in these age categories who have had a flu shot is lower than among the older population.”
The analysis is based on data from the wage calculations of 320,000 employees of more than 40,000 private companies.
