Sickness absence rates significantly vary across professions in Finland according to Statistics Finland report

Sickness absence varies significantly across different professions, as revealed by a report utilizing data from Statistics Finland. Employees in travel service roles, conductors, and guides experience an average of 25 sick days per year, substantially higher than the average of 11 days for all professions. For comparison, business and administration managers report just two sick days annually, while IT managers have even lower numbers at one day.

Occupations with higher absenteeism include other service sector leaders with 24 days, skilled metalworkers, and early childhood educators with 22 days. Conversely, some professional groups, including those with fewer than 7,000 employees, exhibit considerable statistical uncertainty in their absence rates.

The sickness absenteeism data indicates that women’s absences linked to anxiety have risen sharply, and recent government budget cuts to sickness benefits may further exacerbate this issue. Proposed measures also include making the first day of sick leave unpaid.

The reasons behind the disparity in absentee rates remain unclear, with the Finnish social insurance institution (Kela) currently exploring a more comprehensive study to address this knowledge gap. Past research has indicated that workers tend to have longer sick leaves due to musculoskeletal disorders, whereas lower-level employees note higher occurrences of mental health-related absences.

As employee age increases, absenteeism also trends upward. In the municipal sector, particularly within social services and early childhood education, higher sick leave rates are prevalent due to the nature of work involving close interaction with clients and potential exposure to infections.

In 2023, sickness-related expenses for municipal employers are estimated to reach around €1.2 billion, with direct costs from sick days accounting for 69% of this figure.