AOK insured's sick leave slightly decreased - Saarland sees slight drop in employee sick leave for 2025

Sick leave among employees in Saarland fell slightly in 2025, according to new figures from health insurer AOK. The absence rate dropped to 6.9 percent, down by 0.3 percentage points from the previous year. Despite this improvement, certain health issues continued to dominate workplace absences.

Respiratory illnesses remained the leading cause of sick leave, accounting for 27.1 percent of all cases. Musculoskeletal disorders followed closely at 19.0 percent, while mental health conditions and injuries caused 14.0 percent and 8.8 percent of absences, respectively.

The average sick leave episode lasted 11.2 days—0.2 days shorter than in the prior period. February saw the highest absence rate of the year, peaking at 8.7 percent. Long-term illnesses, defined as those lasting more than six weeks, were responsible for 40.6 percent of all lost workdays. Nationally, mental health disorders resulted in the longest absences, averaging 28.5 days per case in 2025. While Saarland's data did not include direct comparisons with other states, AOK confirmed that psychological conditions remained a significant factor in workplace absences across the region.

The overall decline in sick leave suggests a slight improvement in employee health in Saarland. However, respiratory and mental health issues still account for a large share of absences. With long-term illnesses contributing heavily to lost workdays, employers and health providers may need to focus on prevention and early intervention.