Biznes Fakty
Millions of days on L4. One disease has seen a sharp increase
In 2024, the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) documented 25.5 million medical certificates for temporary work incapacity across Poland, resulting in a total of 253.5 million days of sickness absence. ZUS data also indicates a substantial rise in cases of whooping cough.
As per the latest figures from the Social Insurance Institution, 25.5 million e-sick leave certificates were recorded in the ZUS medical certificate registry in 2024—300,000 more than in 2023. These certificates encompassed both personal illness and care for children or other family members.
When do layoffs peak?
The overwhelming majority of these were e-certificates for personal illness, accounting for 92% of the total, which amounts to 22.2 million medical certificates. The highest number of certificates was issued in January and October, with 2.4 million certificates registered in the ZUS systems during each of these months.
On average, individuals insured with ZUS were on sick leave for 33.60 days over the year due to their own illness, with the average duration of a single medical certificate for personal illness being 10.83 days.
For years, there has been a clear trend showing that women receive the majority of certificates, with their numbers being indirectly linked to the absence of pregnant women. Typically, the proportion of medical certificates issued to women exceeds 55.5%. In 2022, it was 55.5%, in 2023 it rose to 55.7%, and in 2024 it again reached 55.5% of all certificates.
The longest periods of sick leave were taken by insured individuals aged 30 to 39, with their absence accounting for 26.4% of total days. Among men, 24.9% of absence days were noted for those aged 40 to 49, while 22.8% pertained to men aged 50 to 59. For women, the longest sick leave was also observed in the 30-39 age group, where they accounted for 30.3% of the days utilized by insured individuals.
According to ZUS data, compared to the previous year, there was an increase in short-term sick leave issued by doctors in 2024. There were 9.5 million certificates for personal illnesses lasting up to 5 days. Out of these, 1.7 million were one-day sick leave certificates.
Read more: „This group is definitely more aware of mental health” >>>
The primary reasons for dismissals
The primary causes of work incapacity have remained consistent for several years, regardless of the region. These include: musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases (41.8 million days of sick leave), respiratory illnesses (33 million days), injuries, poisonings, and other specific effects of external factors (32.5 million days), pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (31.8 million days), mental and behavioral disorders (30.3 million days), and diseases related to COVID-19 (1.7 million days).
According to ZUS data, there has been a notable rise in whooping cough cases. The number of medical certificates issued for this condition, as well as the number of sick leave days, has surged more than 30-fold. Two years ago, there were only 200 sick leave days, which increased to 5.6 thousand the following year. Absences grew from 1.2 thousand days in 2023 to 43.1 thousand in 2024.
As a result of the rising number of sick leaves, expenses associated with them have increased. In 2024, these costs exceeded PLN 31 billion. Of this total, 59% was covered by the Social Insurance Fund, while the remaining expenses were borne by employers and the Guaranteed Employee Benefits Fund.
