UK business information organization Small Business Prices has published a study, which assesses data from 28 countries and found that Israeli employees take the lowest average number of sick days from work. In 2020, with 3.9 days per year, per employee being taken off due to illness, Israel recorded the lowest of all the countries examined.
Small Business Prices speculated that this low absenteeism could be down to the Israelis' strong work ethic. The researchers also noted that the average salary in Israel is also typically lower than that of Europe and North America and the cost of living is higher than many other countries.
"Although the government covers sick leave," the research said, "employees do not get 100% of their wage. All these factors could affect work absence as Israelis may not be able to afford missing work."
In second place, according to the research, was the UK whose employees took an average 4.4 days sick leave in 2020, followed by Denmark (8.7 days), Hungary (8.8 days), and Estonia (9 days).
Germany had the highest absence from work with employees taking an average of 16.3 days per year off due to illness. Approximately two thirds of German citizens are part of non-affiliated unions, the research noted, and the employment system prohibits discrimination against anyone in the workplace. These could be playing factors to the absence rate as employees may feel more comfortable calling in sick and taking time off as they are treated with more equality than other countries.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on March 1, 2022.
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