Number of sick days among older workers rises significantly

An inquiry from the parliamentary group of the Left Party (Die Linke) to the Federal Ministry of Health, which was obtained by the Rheinische Post, reveals that individuals in this age group recorded an average of 31.3 sick days in 2024. In comparison, the average sick leave for all employees in Germany in 2025 was just under 15 days, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

The ministry bases its data on information from the Statutory Health Insurance (GKV). Common reasons for sick leave include colds and flu-like infections.

The increase in longer periods of sick leave is also concerning. In 2024, over 96,100 employed individuals aged 60 to 65 were on sick leave for longer than one year continuously. In the previous year, the number was almost 92,000, and in 2022, around 80,300 people.

Sarah Vollath, the Left Party’s spokesperson for pension policy, describes the development as a “clear warning signal.” She argues that older workers may not be able to continue working until the statutory retirement age. Vollath also criticized the coalition’s pension policy, arguing that raising the statutory retirement age further pushes back the start of pensions and ignores the reality of older workers’ lives.