Health: A total cost of 10.2 billion euros per year… Sick leave stabilizes in 2023 but remains at very high levels

Based on data on stops giving rise to compensation from Health Insurance and which do not include stops of 3 days or less subject to a waiting period, the Department of Research, Studies, evaluation and statistics (DREES) and the National Health Insurance Fund (CNAM) have drawn up an inventory of compensated sick leave in France for the private sector and civil service contract workers.

An observation is clear: if, during the Covid years (2020 to 2022), the number of days of compensated sick leave logically exploded, the level, at the end of the health crisis, remained at high levels, much higher than those of 2019.

Stable but very high stops

In 2023, however, the study notes a stabilization but it reveals that the expenditure devoted to compensating private sector employees and civil service contract workers for sick leave reaches 10.2 billion euros.

During the same year 2023, sick leave for work accidents and occupational illnesses continues to increase in number of days and amounts (4.1 billion euros), while expenditure devoted to maternity and adoption leave (2 .7 billion euros) are stabilizing in a context of falling birth rates.

Sick leave constitutes the majority of work stoppage since it represents 85% of compensated leave, 70% of compensated days and 60% of the amounts paid.

The study notes that the trend increase in the volume of sick leave between 2010 and 2019 (+ 2.3% per year on average) increased between 2019 and 2023 (+ 3.9% per year) and this, even taking into account the upheavals recorded from 2020 to 2022 during the Covid crisis.

According to the authors of the study, the sharp increase in the amounts of daily allowances from 2022 can also be explained by several exceptional increases in the minimum wage since October 2021 following inflation. These increases mainly benefit the youngest, whose daily allowances are significantly lower: 27 euros on average per compensated day for those under 25 and 34 euros for 25-29 year olds, compared to 36 to 37 euros for the rest of the age group. population.

Who is most affected by sick leave?

According to this study, the increase in the total number of days compensated concerns all categories of employees. Since 2010, sick leave has increased among men and women, but more significantly for the latter. An increase that is seen at all ages among women. According to the authors of the study, it can only be explained in very small part by the increase in their participation in the labor market, because this increase is much slower than that of their sick leave.

Note that long stoppages of more than six months represent only 7% of stoppages, but 45% of the expenditure. Conversely, short stoppages of a compensated duration of less than eight days are by far the most frequent and make up almost half of the compensated stoppages but they only represent 4% of the expense.

This study analyzes the evolution of sick leave according to age, sex and sector of activity of private sector and civil service contract employees between 2010 and 2023. It was carried out using data made available in open data by the National Health Insurance Fund (CNAM) from the National Health Data System (SNDS). It covers daily allowances (IJ) for employees in the private sector (excluding farmers and agricultural employees) and civil service contract workers, representing a population estimated at 21 million people in 2023.