Sick at work
July 13, 2009
The German daily Die Welt published the figures on Monday, which it obtained from the country's health ministry.
According to the report, of all workers who are insured by public health care in Germany, the average worker was absent due to illness for 3.5 days during the first six months of 2009.
Since the health ministry began collecting data in 1970, this is the lowest average number of sick days ever recorded.
Workers fear for their jobs
Labor market experts in the country attribute the decrease in sick days to workers' fear of being laid off for absenteeism. As unemployment continues to rise in the midst of the global recession, experts say German workers are showing a willingness to tough it out at work rather than taking it easy at home.
The health ministry statistics also showed that female employees took considerably more sick days than males in the first six months of 2009.
glb/Reuters/dpa
Editor: Chuck Penfold