Sick Leave in Saarland Slightly Decreases
Key Findings
- The sick leave rate among working-age individuals from Saarland was 7.0 percent in 2025.
- In 2025, each working person from Saarland was on average on sick leave for 25.4 days.
- Dunja Kleis, State Managing Director of BARMER in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, says: “Companies that invest in their employees' health contribute to reducing absenteeism by decreasing health burdens.”
Saarbrücken, July 23, 2026 – The employees from Saarland were somewhat less frequently on sick leave in 2025 compared to the previous year. This is shown by a representative analysis by BARMER of the 48,000 working persons insured with it in the federal state. Accordingly, the sick leave rate in the federal state in 2025 was 7.0 percent. On an average calendar day, 70 out of 1,000 employees from Saarland were reported unable to work. After Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (73) and Saxony-Anhalt (71), this was the third highest value among all federal states. In 2024, the sick leave rate in Saarland had been slightly higher at 7.1 percent. Dunja Kleis, State Managing Director of BARMER in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, calls on Saarland companies to place greater emphasis on corporate health management: “Healthy and motivated employees can better overcome challenges. This is a crucial competitive advantage, especially in dynamic times.” Corporate health promotion benefits not only employees but is also worthwhile for companies.
Main Cause of Incapacity for Work: Mental Health Issues
As further shown by BARMER data, in 2025 each working person from Saarland was on average on sick leave for 25.4 days (2024: 25.9 days). Of these, 6.2 days (2024: 5.9 days) were due to mental illnesses such as depression. These were thus the most common reason for absenteeism at work. No other federal state had more days off due to psychological conditions. The second most frequent cause of sick leave in Saarland were respiratory diseases such as flu, cough, and cold (4.4 days, 2024: 4.7 days), followed by musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain (4.3 days, 2024: 4.5 days) as well as injuries like ligament tears and sprains (2.5 days, 2024: 2.6 days). “Companies that invest in their employees’ health contribute to reducing absenteeism by decreasing health burdens. At the same time, they increase employees’ willingness to perform and their productivity,” says Kleis. Investments in corporate health management also improve employers' image internally and externally.
Significant Regional Differences in Sick Leave
BARMER data reveals considerable differences between the six districts in Saarland regarding sick leave reports. For example, the district of Neunkirchen had the highest absenteeism nationwide with 26.8 sick days per working person in 2025. This was over two days more than in the Regional Association Saarbrücken (24.6), which had the lowest value in the state. Regarding mental illnesses, the most work absence days per working person in 2025 were recorded in the district of Neunkirchen (6.8 days). The fewest days off due to psychological illnesses in Saarland were reported in the district of St. Wendel (5.6 days). “Small and medium-sized enterprises can also benefit from corporate health management. Health-promoting structures are often easier to implement here than elsewhere,” explains Kleis. Corporate health promotion can contribute to securing employment and the future of companies.
Q&A
How does the electronic certificate of incapacity to work affect the statistics?
Since the introduction of the electronic certificate of incapacity to work (eAU) in 2021, sick leave reports have been recorded more completely and digitally. Since then, particularly short absences have been included in the statistics much more frequently than before. Before the eAU, sick certificates were usually presented at the workplace but were sometimes not sent to the health insurance.
Which data were analyzed?
The data of working persons who were insured by BARMER in 2025 were analyzed. This includes employees subject to social security contributions as well as recipients of unemployment benefit I. The data were standardized and extrapolated to the working population based on information from the Federal Statistical Office.
