Editorial: El Mundo

• Spain faces a structural problem of labour absenteeism that affects productivity, the sustainability of Social Security and business competitiveness.
• Absenteeism has increased since the pandemic, placing Spain among the European countries with the highest incidence of temporary disability leave.
• The cost of labour absenteeism exceeds 30,000 million euros and each day more than one million people do not go to their workplace.
• Factors such as the ageing of the active population, the increase in mental health diseases, long waiting lists in public health and greater job stability are causes of this growing phenomenon.
• It is necessary to differentiate between legitimate temporary incapacity and the shortcomings in a system whose management has proven to be insufficient.
• The viability of companies and the protection of workers should be compatible and for this, it is important to learn from the experiences of other European countries.

Conclusion: The challenge of labour absenteeism in Spain is complex and requires rigorous proposals. Protecting the sick worker is fully compatible with combating abuses and improving the efficiency of the system.

---