Business · Economy · 55 mins ago
Workplace absences could cost Spanish employers €17.5bn in 2026
Spanish employers are projected to pay €17.5bn for sick leave in 2026, an 8% rise from 2025.
The combined cost to employers and Social Security for common sick-leave claims is expected to exceed €36.15bn.
The employer bill is 148% higher than in 2018, more than doubling over eight years.
Absences have risen sharply in recent years, especially since the pandemic, and have become part of Spain’s political debate because of their economic effects.
Around 1.6 million people miss work each day, including 1.2 million on medical leave, according to estimates for the second quarter of 2026.
The costs include sick-leave payments, additions agreed in collective contracts and Social Security contributions; absences also reduce the amount of goods and services produced.
The scale of absence varies across Spain, with Asturias and the Canary Islands reporting the highest rates in the figures cited.
Spanish employers are projected to bear €17.5 billion in costs from sick leave in 2026, an 8% increase from 2025.
The projected employer cost is 148% higher than in 2018.
The combined cost to employers and Social Security of benefits for common-contingency sick leave is expected to exceed €36.15 billion in 2026.
Randstad Research estimates that 1.6 million workers are absent from work each day in the second quarter of 2026, including 1.2 million on medical leave.
The estimated indirect cost from lost production reached €150.924 billion in 2025, according to AMAT.
- Who
- Spanish employers and the Social Security system bear costs linked to workplace absences.
- What
- Employers are projected to pay €17.5 billion for sick leave in 2026. The combined cost to employers and Social Security is expected to exceed €36.15 billion.
- When
- The projections are for 2026. The article was published on November 11, 2026.
- Where
- Spain.
- Why
- The costs arise from payments and contributions linked to sick leave, as well as lost production. The sources do not state why absences are increasing.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Employer costs for sick leave provide the comparison baseline for the projected 148% increase in 2026.
AMAT estimated that 7.04% of workers were absent due to temporary incapacity, and indirect production losses reached €150.924 billion.
Randstad Research put general absenteeism at 7.2% and estimated that 1.6 million people were absent each day.
Employer costs for sick leave are projected at €17.5 billion, while the combined cost to employers and Social Security is expected to exceed €36.15 billion.
- Employer cost in 2026
- €17.5 billion
- Increase from 2025
- 8%
- Increase from 2018
- 148%
- Combined cost in 2026
- More than €36.15 billion
- Daily absences in second quarter of 2026
- 1.6 million, including 1.2 million on medical leave