Editorial: El Mundo

• The cost of medical leaves and accidents has increased by 74% since 2018.
• As of the end of March, there are 112,978 ongoing medical processes lasting more than a year, three times what it was before Covid.
• Spending on leaves due to mental disorders has increased by 118% over this period.
• Work absenteeism due to medical causes presents a serious problem, especially for SMEs.
• The absenteeism rate stabilized at around 7% since the pandemic, indicating that almost 1.5 workers do not go to work even one day.
• Unworked hours per employee increased by 32.3%.
• Population aging and delays in treatment management are the main causes of this trend.
• Greater support for the productive fabric related to advances in health and reconciliation is needed to guarantee social cohesion.

Conclusion: An economic and fiscal policy that supports businesses, along with improved management and prevention of work absenteeism due to health issues, is imperative.

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