More than four out of ten employees were prescribed sick leave in 2022

More than four out of ten employees were prescribed sick leave in 2022, more and more often for psychological disorders, according to an annual study by the social protection group Malakoff Humanis published Thursday. 42% of employees were prescribed sick leave, a rate equivalent to that of 2016 (41%), after a significant drop during the Covid period (36% in 2020 and 38% in 2021), according to a press release from Malakoff Humanis .

These judgments concern more particularly young people aged 18-34 (46%), while those over 50 are under-represented (34%). Women are also arrested more than men, with a widening gap, going from 6 points in 2016 to 11 points in 2022. The prescription of sick leaves is down among managers (40% compared to 46% in 2019 and 42% in 2021).

Read alsoComplementary health: sick leave explodes among young people

The health sector has the highest number of employees arrested (53%), while those of commerce and industry have experienced the strongest growth since 2020: +12 points in commerce and +10 in industry .

Psychological disorders

Apart from Covid, the prescription of sick leave has been stable since 2020 and concerns 33% of employees (37% of 18-34 year olds, 27% of people aged 50 and over). The share of shutdowns linked to Covid has increased from 6% in 2020 to 12% in 2021 and 22% in 2022.

Excluding Covid, ordinary illnesses (flu, cold, sore throat, etc.) are the leading cause of stoppages (27%) ahead of psychological disorders and professional exhaustion which cause 20% of stoppages (after 17% in 2021 and 15 % in 2020), exceeding for the first time musculoskeletal disorders (16%).

Psychological disorders are also the main reason for long stoppages: 28% in 2022 compared to 14% in 2016, taking precedence over accidents. Stops for psychological reasons concern more people raising their children alone, women, managers, the health sector, intermediate professions.