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Alarm mood in the town hall: High cases of illness are paralyzing Hameln!
High level of sickness in Hameln-Pyrmont: average duration of illness over 29 days. Insight into causes and trends.
Alarm mood in the town hall: High cases of illness are paralyzing Hameln!
In recent years, sickness rates in Germany, especially in cities like Hameln, have changed significantly. As the mayor of Rostock, Eva-Maria Kröger (Linke), reports, the average duration of illness per employee in the city administration is a shocking 29.3 days. This high number has already resulted in “low double-digit number of employees” being laid off and reflects a worrying trend seen in other parts of the country. In the city of Hamelin, for example, the average duration of illness was 26.8 days in 2023 and fell to 22.1 days by September 2024. This development raises questions about the reasons and the effects on public administration.
After the nationwide average for illness cases was 14.8 days in 2024, which represents a decrease compared to 2023, the topic still remains explosive. In the Hameln-Pyrmont district, an average duration of illness of 21.5 days was recorded in 2023, which fell to 17.5 days in 2024. City spokesman Thomas Wahmes emphasizes that some of these figures should be viewed with caution. Particular stress in certain areas could distort the overall picture and give a distorted impression of the health status of the workforce. In the district center, special attention is paid to supporting employees who have long-term illnesses, although labor law measures are not explicitly mentioned here.
The causes of the increase
One factor contributing to the increase in cases of illness is the introduction of the electronic certificate of incapacity for work (eAU) at the beginning of 2022. Statistical effects of this new introduction explain a large part of the increase. The average number of days of incapacity to work rose from 14.5 days in 2021 to 20.1 days in 2023. The loss of economic production due to incapacity to work also amounts to a whopping 128 billion euros, which is another indication of the severity of the situation. The main causes of sick leave are respiratory diseases, followed by musculoskeletal diseases. In addition, the number of mental illnesses has increased by over 40% in the last ten years, which is also contributing to an increase in cases of illness.
Long-term illnesses in focus
A particularly alarming sign is the increase in employees in Hameln with long-term illnesses. While 47 employees were sick for more than six weeks in 2023, this number had already reached 61 by the end of September 2024. This led to an impressive figure of 36.3 vacant positions in the city administration. However, the district has a plan to counteract this: employees with long-term illness receive support through operational integration management and targeted personnel management measures.
District spokeswoman Sandra Lummitsch makes it clear that the numbers cannot easily be compared with other organizations because different calculation formulas are used. In the current situation, it is important to support and accompany people in administration in order to reduce the burden and ensure efficiency. Each of us knows how crucial health is for performance - it is obvious that a good part of the challenges have to be tackled in administration.
The developments surrounding sick leave in Germany and especially in Hamelin are a reflection of a broader trend and require a rethink in how we deal with health and working conditions.