Merz’s sick-leave crackdown tightens access from next year

Germany sick – Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced a crackdown on sick leave, including a rule from January next year that workers must get a doctor’s note in person on the first day of illness—ending the option of getting one over the phone. The move follows r

For many workers in Germany, the day they fall ill is supposed to be about rest. Starting next year, it will also come with an extra hurdle: proof, in person, on day one.

Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced this week a crackdown on the high number of sick days the country takes. The proposal lands after research published in January by the Berlin-based IGES Institute found that German workers now average 19.5 working days as sick leave per year. That is a noticeable increase from about 13 days in 2018.

At the center of Merz’s plan is a change to how sick notes are obtained. From January next year, workers will no longer be able to get a sick note over the phone. They will have to visit a doctor in person and receive the note on the first day of illness. For anyone planning to call in sick. the change adds “a layer of difficulty” to taking time off work due to sickness.

Merz said the high number of absences is hurting Germany’s economy. adding that. “We can no longer afford this competitive disadvantage caused by long absences from work.” He framed the crackdown as a bid to restore what he calls “fairness and functionality” in the labor market. giving employers and health insurers more assertive tools to respond to repeated absences.

The sick-leave measures are part of a larger package of reforms to health and social security programs agreed by the governing coalition. That coalition brings together Merz’s conservative alliance and the center-left Social Democrats.

Germany’s system is often described as unusually generous. Workers are entitled to 100% of their salary for up to six weeks of sick leave, paid by the employer. A doctor’s note is usually required after three days of absence.

After six weeks of sick leave. statutory health insurance takes over. paying about 70% of gross pay with a cap for up to 78 weeks within three years for the same illness. The structure is designed not only to protect income during ill health. but also to encourage recovery and reduce the risk of staff spreading germs at work.

Critics say Merz’s proposals cut against that balance. While government leaders and business voices have long pointed to absenteeism as a drag on productivity and competitiveness. critics of the reform argue the crackdown could stigmatize legitimate illness. They also say it risks shifting blame for Germany’s economic troubles onto an increasingly aging population of workers.

One reason Germany’s sick-leave figure has climbed, IGES wrote in its report published in January, is better reporting. That improvement is linked to the country’s new electronic sick note system (eAU), which took full effect in 2023. Under eAU, doctors send certificates directly to the health insurer, and employers can retrieve them digitally—making tracking more accurate.

IGES argued that many short absences that previously went unrecorded on paper are now captured in the data. The institute also pointed to behavioral changes during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. when workers became more aware of spreading germs. People are now more likely to stay home when they have a cold or flu. which IGES described as positive for public health but also increases recorded sick days.

Mental health issues have also grown as a cause of absences. Musculoskeletal problems, such as back pain, remain one of the leading reasons for calling in sick. According to IGES research conducted for health insurer DAK-Gesundheit. healthcare workers have the highest rates of sick leave. while those in data processing and information technology have some of the lowest.

When Germany is compared with other countries, the headline changes depending on the method used. The easiest cross-country comparison uses data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). but the OECD calculates sick leave from 7-day weeks rather than working days. so it is not a direct match for the IGES figures.

Still. OECD data shows Germany reached an average of 3.5 weeks. or 24.5 days. last year—meaning it is “certainly not the worst offender.” Norway. Spain and Slovenia reached five weeks and above in 2025. Finland (4.8 weeks), France (4.1), Portugal (4.0) and Belgium (3.9) also have higher absenteeism rates than Germany.

Many Eastern and Southern European countries, by contrast, have much lower sick leave rates. Bulgaria. Romania. Turkey. Greece and Hungary average a week or less per year. while Polish workers take an average of 1.8 weeks (8 or 9 days). The OECD data—covering 32 of its 38 member countries—also shows Americans took 1.1 weeks of sick leave in 2024. the most recent year with available figures.

Within Germany, the stakes are being framed in economic terms as well as labor-market fairness. The Chancellor’s argument is that Germany can’t afford the competitive disadvantage linked to long absences from work. The counter-argument is that tightening sick-note rules could end up putting additional pressure on workers who are genuinely unwell. at a time when the country is already grappling with growth challenges.

Germany’s economy is struggling due to rising competition from China, geopolitics and high energy costs, among many other issues. The government is looking for ways to boost growth while balancing the costs of illness against protections for workers and the functioning of workplaces.

Merz’s crackdown. agreed through coalition negotiations and set to take effect from January next year. is the latest shift in that balance. The rule ending phone sick notes does not change how long wages and insurance coverage can last once leave is granted—but it changes the first step of getting sick leave recognized: seeing a doctor in person on day one.

Germany sick leave Friedrich Merz electronic sick note eAU IGES Institute DAK-Gesundheit labor reforms health insurance workplace absence