The Social Security short-term incapacity statistics set a brand new document for sick go away in Spain in 2025. The information, nonetheless provisional, not too long ago launched by Elma Saiz’s ministry, present that the typical prevalence of short-term incapacity as a result of frequent contingencies [las que no tienen un origen profesional] It is already 53.7 processes per 1,000 workers, a soar in comparison with the 51.1 that this similar variable marked in 2024. Thus, an upward pattern continues that worries unions, employers’ associations and public administrations. But this concern, for the second, barely interprets into measures that attempt to clear up an issue that price the general public coffers 18.4 billion euros final yr. The measures already agreed upon (higher participation by mutual insurance coverage corporations in musculoskeletal losses) will not be taking off and different new ones don’t collect enough consensus in social dialogue.
Sick go away has been rising uninterruptedly in Spain since 2012, in accordance with Social Security information. Then, the typical prevalence amongst workers was 19.1 instances per 1,000 workers, within the midst of the Great Recession. It is the underside of the historic collection, which begins in 2007. From then to 2012, whereas the collapse of the Spanish economic system occurred because of the bursting of the brick bubble, losses fell. They started to get well in 2013, little by little, till reaching 35.7 in 2020, the yr of the pandemic. Since then, the variable has skyrocketed, with very important jumps within the final 5 years, as much as 53.7 processes per 1,000 workers within the final document.
Maria del Mar Crespí, professor of Labor and Social Security Law on the University of the Balearic Islands and writer of the doctoral thesis Temporary incapacity and work absenteeism: prevention, management and return to workbelieves that this can be a “multifactorial” drawback, which is because of a number of causes. Unions, employers and the Government itself agree on this. The distinction in every particular person’s place lies within the weight given to every cause within the evaluation of the issue and, consequently, within the proposed options.
The Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (Airef) printed an in depth examine on this regard in February, wherein it indicated what in its opinion have been the 5 most figuring out components. It is in regards to the “lack of supervision and monitoring of the processes” (the autonomous group offers the discharge via the well being system, however the associated fee falls on Social Security); the “more guaranteeing” regulatory evolution and the “improvement of collective agreements” (in order that being on sick go away has much less financial impression for the worker); the “expansive economic cycle” (the extra terrified of shedding one’s job, the extra frequent it’s to work sick); the “increased demand for primary care”; and the “increase in waiting lists.”
This final facet is the one most highlighted by the unions, who’re very important of the Airef report. In a joint assertion, CC OO and UGT acknowledged that “causes strictly related to the health of workers” are the principle clarification for the rise in short-term incapacity (TI) and therefore they level out that the best option to scale back the issue of sick go away can be to strengthen well being techniques. Crespí agrees on the significance of this issue: “It is clear that improving the health treatment of workers would improve temporary disability statistics.” The newest ready checklist information improves barely in comparison with the earlier yr, however are nonetheless dismal when in comparison with the remainder of the historic collection: 846,600 folks have been ready for medical consideration in December 2024, with a median ready time of 126 days. The unions additionally level out that there are pathologies derived from the pandemic that affect this phenomenon.
The delayed response of public well being is a failure that unnecessarily prolongs sick go away, in accordance with specialists, who additionally emphasize the significance of the rise in psychological well being illnesses. The Airef report highlights that that is the principle cause that explains the rise in sick go away amongst younger staff, to the purpose that they report a better incidence of sick go away than veteran workers, though the latter have for much longer and extra pricey processes for Social Security, in accordance with a latest CC OO report. The Airef report additionally particulars that IT for these aged 25 to 35 has grown by 67% from 2017 to 2024, in comparison with the 43% that has elevated amongst staff aged 55 to 65.
Unions additionally insist that the growing older of the working inhabitants is vital. “Of course it affects, it is inevitable. The older you are, the more illnesses and the longer the duration of sick leave. Structural aging is one of the main explanations for the increase in TR,” insists Crespí alongside the identical strains. 36% of employed folks in Spain are over 50 years outdated, whereas in the beginning of the century that proportion was 19%. Likewise, the college professor, like Airef, highlights the connection of the constructive financial cycle with the rise in sick go away and the enlargement of agreements wherein the worker doesn’t lose wage when he’s disabled.
The employers’ affiliation repeatedly insists on the opening that this improve in sick go away represents for the competitiveness of corporations. It calls for options, and has even conditioned them on numerous negotiations with the Government. It is frequent for enterprise voices to level to potential fraud dedicated by workers, even speaking about “descents”, because the vp of CEOE Lorenzo Amor did a yr in the past. This line of discourse irritates the unions: they imagine that these frauds are anecdotal and that they’re used to disclaim rights to all workers.
Social Security is negotiating with unions and employers to enhance the information, however the positions are very far aside. Unions have been extraordinarily indignant after Elma Saiz raised the opportunity of “flexible” layoffs, which might enable staff a versatile return, and the ministry rapidly amended that line. Previously, the identical division agreed with the social brokers to articulate a higher function for mutual insurance coverage corporations within the therapy of trauma casualties, however this is dependent upon agreements with the well being providers of the autonomous communities and have barely been carried out.
Social Security sources spotlight that the phenomenon not solely impacts Spain, that there’s additionally a rise in sick go away in different growing older economies, and so they insist that they’re making an attempt to articulate options and that they hope to quickly attain an understanding with unions and employers, regardless of the issue lately in reaching this sort of settlement. Public spending for short-term incapacity represents the second largest merchandise of Social Security, 18.4 billion euros in 2025, solely behind pensions. Saiz’s division highlights that the rise within the final yr in comparison with the earlier yr has moderated: from 2023 to 2024 it grew by 17% and from 2024 to 2025 by 12%.
IT falls amongst self-employed staff
The improve in sick go away amongst workers is a considerably totally different pattern than that amongst self-employed staff. For the second consecutive yr, the typical prevalence of sick go away as a result of frequent contingencies on this group has barely contracted. After setting a most of 40.8 per 1,000 self-employed staff in 2023, in 2024 the determine was 39.8 and in 2025, 38.9. Statistics persistently present that the self-employed, who lose extra revenue than workers when they’re on sick go away, have fewer short-term incapacity processes. The sick go away of those folks lasts a median of 105 days, for much longer than that of workers (39 days), provided that the previous normally cease just for extra critical diseases.
The variety of casualties {of professional} origin can also be falling once more, in accordance with the 2025 information from Social Security. The common prevalence goes from 4.04 per 1,000 employed folks to three.87. It is a slight contraction, however sustained since 2022, when a most of 4.62 was reached. The unions denounce that in Spain the underdiagnosis of the skilled origin of many illnesses is frequent. These skilled sick go away final on common 47 days, in the future lower than in 2024. However, the determine is way larger than that recorded a decade in the past (36 days) and much more than 20 years in the past (28).
The earlier information are disaggregated by sort of contingency and worker, offered on this method in an effort to present a extra intensive historic collection, because the data from the start of the century have been solely printed by typology and in any other case the comparability wouldn’t be coherent. Then there have been no total figures, however now there are: the typical prevalence per 1,000 employed folks (whether or not salaried or self-employed, each for frequent {and professional} contingencies), was 55.1 dismissal processes in Spain in 2025, in comparison with the 53.2 that have been already a document in 2024.
The autonomous communities which can be furthest from this common of 55.1 for all of Spain are, with fewer sick go away, the Balearic Islands (47.3 processes per 1,000 workers), La Rioja (46.9) and the Community of Madrid (44.7). The highest data are in Galicia (74.7), the Canary Islands (73.7) and Cantabria (67.5).
https://elpais.com/economia/2026-04-06/las-bajas-laborales-en-espana-marcaron-en-2025-otro-record-sin-soluciones-a-la-vista.html