Longer sickness absences push absenteeism rate to 6%, Verlingue finds - Verlingue Absenteeism Barometer - 10th Edition

Verlingue France, the insurance broker specialising in business protection, has published the tenth edition of its Absenteeism Barometer.

The sickness absence rate reached 6% in the first half of 2026, a 2% increase year on year. The rise was most pronounced among women, clerical staff and managers. Although the proportion of employees taking sick leave fell, periods of absence became longer. Longer absences drive the increaseThe sickness absence rate reached 6% in the first half of 2026, compared with 5.9% in the same period of 2025 and 5.5% in 2024. This represents an increase of 2% year on year and 9% over two years.The rise came despite a fall in the proportion of employees taking sick leave. During the period, 29.2% of employees were absent for at least one day, down 6% compared with the first half of 2025. However, the average duration of absence rose by 5% year on year to 19.9 days. Employees who took sick leave recorded an average of 1.59 spells of absence, compared with 1.53 in the first half of 2025. Women, clerical staff and managers see the largest increasesTrends varied considerably across employee groups. The sickness absence rate stood at 7.6% among women, compared with 4.6% among men. The rate increased by 4% year on year for women but fell by 1% for men.Among clerical staff, the rate reached 7.7%, up 5%. For managers, it rose by 3% to 2.9%, with a particularly marked increase in the average duration of absence. The rate among manual workers remained unchanged at 7.7%.The increase was also more pronounced among employees under 45. Rates rose across all age groups up to 45, while generally remaining stable or declining among older employees. Long-term absence accounts for a growing share of days lostAbsences lasting 31 days or more now account for 73% of all days lost to sickness, compared with 71% in the first half of 2025 and 70% in the first half of 2024.The proportion of employees experiencing these extended absences also increased, from 6.42% in the first half of 2024 to 7.05% in the first half of 2026. This rise was confined to employees under 40 and was particularly marked among those under 30, with a 10% increase year on year.Absences lasting more than 60 days recorded in 2025 were primarily associated with psychosocial risks and musculoskeletal disorders. These accounted for 28% and 24% of identifiable medical conditions respectively. The average duration of absence was 195 days for cases associated with psychosocial risks and 209 days for musculoskeletal disorders.The employee groups affected differed according to the underlying condition. Extended absences associated with psychosocial risks were more common among managers. Musculoskeletal disorders were more prevalent among non-managerial employees, with their incidence increasing with age.